


Worlds Entwined: Part 1

by ScorpionKing



Series: Worlds Entwined [1]
Category: LUCIDS - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28594746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpionKing/pseuds/ScorpionKing
Summary: Jasper and Quinn are twins who were separated at birth, when their father had Quinn kidnapped. In this story, Jasper and Quinn go on journeys that eventually lead them to find each other again.
Relationships: Jasper & Eliza
Series: Worlds Entwined [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095287
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Stolen

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by ["LUCIDS"](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/738903) by Nicholas Podany. 



Molly and David’s sons were as beautiful as any babies. They might even say that they were the  _ most _ beautiful, as all parents do. But all that mattered was that the twins were healthy and happy. Since they were first laid in a bassinet together, Jasper and Quinn stayed close to each other, their tiny hands holding onto each other. Molly wished for that moment to stay forever, but, as life goes on, things change, for better, or for worse.

When Jasper and Quinn were just three weeks old, a terrible argument broke out between Molly and David. David shouted about needing to have time to work, and Molly retorted that he already worked enough and should really be focusing on spending more time at home with her and the twins. Finally, unable to take it anymore, David left the house. The twins were crying behind Molly, so she didn’t have time to get upset. She went to try to calm Jasper and Quinn, but they wouldn’t stop, as though they knew something was going on between their parents.

Trying to keep the tremble from her voice, Molly sang to them, a sweet lullaby she usually saved for whenever she was putting the twins to sleep. Jasper calmed instantly, glancing at his mother with curious, hazel eyes, but Quinn continued to bawl.

Sensing that his twin was in distress, the three week old Jasper took his hand. Quinn instantly stopped crying, looking at his brother with the same hazel eyes.

“Oh, my babies.” Molly whispered, hugging her sons gently, “What would I do without you two?”

Little did she know she was about to find the answer to that question far sooner than she should ever have had to.

A few nights later, as Molly woke to the sound of her babies crying in their room, she sensed that something was different about this. Something was much, much worse. She leapt out of her bed, running down the hallway to her sons’ room, where, she noticed with a terrible jolt in her heart, the door was ajar. She burst into the room to find a dark figure over Jasper’s crib. There was already one bundle of blankets in his grasp.

“Quinn!” Molly cried, running to try to save him.

As she came closer, she saw that the figure had his face hidden by a hood, muffling his voice;

“Your husband needs heirs, and he left it to me to retrieve the only ones he has. I have to take them both.”

“No!” Molly screamed, stepping in between the cloaked stranger and Jasper’s crib, “You’re not taking him!”

The man tried to get past her, but she fought hard, careful not to hit Quinn. He tried one more time to pass her, but she blocked him once again.

“Just one then,” the man said.

Molly watched in terror as the man ran through the now unblocked door, carrying a screaming Quinn with him.

“Quinn!” Molly cried, trying to run after them.

In the darkness, she could barely see where she was going, and she tripped over the rug in the middle of the front room. By the time she had righted herself again, she had lost sight of the stranger, and Quinn’s screams had faded to nothing. The front door was open, and all Molly could hear were the creatures of the night.

She sank to the ground, burying her face in her hands and beginning to sob. She cried alone until she was aware of the wailing baby in the room behind her. Stopping only to make a call to the police, she walked into the twins’ room to find Jasper awake in his crib. He was kicking and flailing, and Molly knew he could sense that something was wrong.

As carefully as she could, Molly scooped the crying baby into her arms, carrying him over to the rocking chair, where she sat, rocking Jasper gently and speaking softly to him.

“It’s okay, baby.” she whispered, pressing her lips to his velvety forehead, “I’ve got you. Mommy’s got you. It’s okay.”

Jasper continued to cry, but Molly wouldn’t give up.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Jasper. You’re alright. You’re safe. Mommy won’t let anything hurt you. Sleep, now, baby. I’m here.”

But nothing seemed to be working. Trying not to become desperate, Molly carried Jasper outside, sitting with him in a chair in the back garden.

“Jasper, do you see those stars?” she asked, pointing into the sky, where the stars twinkled down at them as they sat in the warm night, “They’re saying goodnight to you. It’s okay. You can sleep. I promise I won’t leave.”

Finally, Jasper calmed, looking up at the stars, which reflected in his watery eyes. Molly smiled softly down at him, brushing his hair gently off his forehead, then pressing her lips to the skin underneath. Jasper’s hazel eyes glanced up at her as she pulled away.

“See?” she whispered, relief flooding her, “It’s nighttime. And what a beautiful night it is, too.  _ Perfect _ for my beautiful little boy.”

Suddenly, Molly felt a small fist close around her finger, squeezing it, and she looked to see that Jasper had grabbed onto her. He seemed to be trying to tell her that it was going to be okay. Molly knew they both needed to be told that at that moment.

As suddenly as Jasper’s fist had closed around Molly’s finger, his grip slackened, and his eyes closed. He was asleep. Carefully and quietly as she could, Molly carried her son inside, closing and locking the door behind her. Once she made sure all the doors into the house were locked once more, she carried Jasper into her room with her. She couldn’t bear to let him sleep alone in his room, not after what just happened. So, with her arm securely around him, Molly fell asleep in her bed.


	2. Lessons and School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Quinn go through school, their situations and experiences quite similar, though their reactions to them quite different.

**Jasper**

At five years old, Jasper began to take piano lessons. For some reason, his mother would always stay in the room with him and his teacher. He got used to this after a while, and he didn’t let this distract him.

When he got home each afternoon, after practicing the pieces his teacher gave him, Jasper would fiddle around to try to figure out how to play songs his mother had played for him so many times.

On one particular occasion, his mother came to sit next to him as he was playing. Jasper looked up at her, smiling.

“Hi, Mom!” he said, hugging her.

“Hello, Jasper.” his mom replied, kissing him on the top of the head, “You seem pretty excited about something.”

“Oh, I just love it when you come over to the piano during my at-home practice, because it always means you’re going to play something and I really love it when you do.” Jasper said brightly.

“You’re so sweet.” his mother answered, “Alright, then, come here.”

Jasper moved to sit on her lap, then she began to play the piano. Jasper smiled as he listened to the beautiful tune, closing his eyes as it filled him.When he opened his eyes again, Jasper paid attention to his mother’s hands, watching what notes she played to make such a beautiful sound. As his mother finished playing, Jasper looked up at her.

“That was pretty.” he said, “I’ve never heard that before. What was it?”

“It was something I wrote for you.” his mother replied, smiling and kissing his forehead, “I find it speaks to your curiosity.”

Jasper smiled, looking down at the piano again, then back up at his mother.

“My theme.” he said, smiling.

“That’s right.” his mother agreed, “Your theme. Jasper’s theme.”

Jasper giggled appreciatively.

**Quinn**

Several miles away, in a miserable old orphanage, Quinn sat on his bed, a thin mattress on a metal frame. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, staring out of the window into the bare back garden of the orphanage, where the grass was brown and dry. His bedroom door was closed, which was good, as the other kids never took kindly to him.

As this thought surfaced, he sighed heavily, lying back and resting his head on the thin pillow at the top of his bed. He often did this, wondering why his parents had never come to get him. Why they had never seemed to love him.

Just then, there was a soft knock at his door. It opened and one of the counselors, Ms. Richards, walked in. She was a kind-faced young woman but her presence wasn’t enough to calm Quinn.

“Quinn, honey, don’t you want to go outside with the others?” she asked, “It’s a lovely day. I doubt the weather will stay like this for long.”

“No,” Quinn mumbled, rolling onto his side, facing away from her, “They hate me. They don’t want me out there.”

“Oh, Quinn, they don’t  _ hate _ you.” Ms. Richards said.

Quinn huffed in response, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, it’ll be good for you to get some fresh air.” she tried again.

“If they would even let me breathe.” Quinn muttered to himself so that Ms. Richards didn’t hear.

“What was that?” she asked kindly.

“Get out.” Quinn muttered, his temper rising.

“Oh, come on, Quinn.” Ms. Richards pleaded, “If you could just  _ try _ to make friends, maybe you would feel---”

“I don’t  _ have _ any friends!” Quinn shouted, getting to his feet, “No one loves me! I have  _ no one _ ! Don’t you understand? I’m better off alone!”

“Quinn, honey, that’s not true!” Ms. Richards said, moving to try to comfort him, “Your parents loved you very much, and---”

“And yet you said I was brought here in the arms of a complete stranger who claimed to have no relation to me.” Quinn interrupted, pulling away before she could touch him, “My parents got rid of me, they didn’t care about me. I’m a waste of space.”

“Quinn, please, you’re  _ not _ a waste of space.”

“How do you know?”

“Because the man who left you was desperate.” Ms. Richards explained, “Your parents were probably poor and unable to aff---”

“Love doesn’t cost anything.” Quinn interrupted, his eyes filling with tears of anger.

“No, Quinn, please.” Ms. Richards said, “That’s not how it works. If you would just let me ex---”

“NO!” Quinn shouted, “Get OUT!”

There was a second of silence, then Ms. Richards stepped away from him.

“Maybe it would be best if you just---calmed down a little.” she said, “Maybe you could think this over in the shower, or---something.”

Quinn grumbled in response, glaring out of the window. Only when Ms. Richards had left, closing the door behind her, did Quinn move. He sank to the floor, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. Everything he did always went wrong, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He thought that, maybe, if and when he was loved, he would be able to understand better. He knew the answers were so close, but, the only problem was that he kept pushing people away whenever they offered a hand of friendship or kindness. It was then that he realized that, maybe, his parents had never wanted him because he wasn’t worth anything. He curled himself into a tight ball on the floor, putting his hands behind his neck as he usually did to try to calm down.

When he felt steady enough, he dried his face, got to his feet, then went to take a shower. It was only when he was rubbing soap into his hair that he felt that something else was wrong. Like something inside of him was... _ missing _ \- a part of him.

Deciding it was merely the love of a family that was missing, he gave his head a vigorous shake, which only resulted in him getting soap in his eyes. As a sudden wave of anger threatened to burst from him, he held it back and it turned into sadness. The only good thing that came from this, if one could even  _ begin _ to call it good, was that the tears helped to wash some of the soap from his eyes.

As he finished showering, he quickly dried himself and got changed into a fresh set of dull, gray clothes. He hurried back to his room before anyone could catch him out on his own and bully him.

**Jasper**

As the next day was Monday, Jasper woke early to get ready for school. His mother drove him to school while he sat with a nervous feeling in his stomach. He had thought it would go away, but it seemed as though it was there to stay.

School was the only place his mother couldn’t be with him, and what made the matter worse was that there were so many other kids. They went out of their way to be friends with him. His classmates often referred to him as “Joyful Jasper,” since he always put on a brave face that they all assumed was a smile. He wished they wouldn’t, all the attention he was getting made him feel a little sick.

The only people Jasper could tolerate being around at school were his teachers, who never called on him or forced him to stand out in any way. There was one teacher that Jasper had a particularly strong connection with, his music teacher, who he saw in his last class before lunch. Often, when Jasper was having a particularly rough day, Mrs. Williams would let him stay in her classroom for lunch. The two of them would have conversations about their favorite bands or song. Jasper was often pleased to find that they liked a lot of the same things.

On this particular Monday, Jasper told Mrs. Williams about the song his mother had written for him.

“It’s the  _ coolest _ thing!” Jasper exclaimed, laughing, “Mom said it reminded her of my curiosity.”

“I bet it did, seeing as curiosity is one of your strongest traits, at least that I’ve seen.” Mrs. Williams said kindly, “Also, I never knew your mother was a composer. Has she written anything else?”

“No, ma’am.” Jasper answered, “Just the one.”

“Well, tell her I think it’s a wonderful hobby,” Mrs. Williams commented, smiling, “I think it’s because of her that you have such a love of music.”

Jasper blushed.

“Now, you’d better head along to Mr. Marsh’s class.” Mrs. Williams finished, “You don’t want to be late, after all.”

“I won’t.” Jasper promised, smiling, “I’ll be there on time.”

“Good boy.” Mrs. Williams said.

“Bye, Mrs. Williams!” Jasper exclaimed, standing and grabbing his backpack and empty lunchbox.

“Goodbye, Jasper.” Mrs. Williams replied, “It’s been lovely to talk to you, as ever. See you tomorrow.”

“See you!”

Jasper hurried out of the classroom just as the bell rang. He made his way carefully through the crowded hallway.

Just then, three taller boys stepped in front of him, blocking his way. By the look of them, Jasper thought they must be in sixth or seventh grade.

“Oh, look, it’s the spoiled little runt.” the middle one said, causing the other two to burst into fits of laughter, “Kinda weird that the others in his grade seem to worship this stupid rat when he’s so much smaller than them.”

The boy on the left yanked on Jasper’s backpack, pulling it away from him, while the one on the right shoved him backwards so that he fell to the floor, hitting his elbow hard on the marble. He bit back tears, trying to stay strong as he got shakily to his feet, making eye contact with the middle boy.

“What do you want?” he asked calmly.

“Oh, what did you say?” the boy on the left teased, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. You’re either mute or just so small that your voice doesn’t carry.”

The other two howled with laughter.

Jasper opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to shout, but his usual kindness didn’t seem to be doing the trick either. His silence caused the boys to laugh harder.

“Aw, look, the little runt is too  _ kind _ to fight back.” the middle boy crooned in a mocking way, “Go on, then, Jasper. Shout. I dare you.”

Jasper remained still and silent, so the other boys began to chant.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Jasper closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself. They wanted him to fight, so he wouldn’t.

“Well, I suppose you really  _ are _ mute.” the boy on the left remarked, then looked at the other two, “What should we do with him?”

“Well, if he really  _ is _ mute, then he isn’t worth our time.” the middle boy said.

Before Jasper could react, the middle boy pushed him hard to the ground. He curled into a tight ball, and, as the boys laughed overhead, he had a sudden wish for someone to hold him, comfort him. His usual comfort wasn’t there, and now he felt a need for something  _ more _ . He didn’t have time to ponder this, however, as the boys threw his heavy backpack at him. It hit him hard in the chest, and he lay still, winded. As he began to cry, the boys mocked him, calling him names. Suddenly, he heard a girl’s voice over him.

“Hey! Leave him alone!”

Jasper lifted his head carefully to see a girl with golden-brown hair standing in front of the three boys. She appeared to be in the same grade as them. As she spoke, the boys stopped laughing, then smirked at her.

“Nice of you to drop in, Charity.” the middle boy said, “Though I wouldn’t waste time on such a pathetic runt.”

“He is  _ not _ a pathetic runt.” Charity retorted.

“ _ Wow _ , Charity.” the boy on the right teased, “I didn’t know you had time for cry-babies.”

“Pathetic.” the boy on the left snorted.

“You’d better clear off now before I tell a teacher you’ve been beating up an innocent kindergartener.” Charity threatened.

“ _ Ooh _ , I’m  _ shaking _ .” the boy on the right said sarcastically, faking a shiver.

“Yeah, better not let the  _ teachers’ pet _ catch you out.” the one on the left added.

The middle boy merely smirked, then, after a minute, he spoke, teasing.

“Well, I suppose we’ll leave you to deal with the little cry-baby.” he said, “But you’ll see soon enough that he’s a pathetic waste of time. Come on, boys.”

As they left, Charity walked over to Jasper, crouching down next to him as he relaxed.

“You okay?” she asked.

Jasper looked shyly away then, as Charity placed a hand gently on his arm, he flinched unintentionally. Charity pulled away, then spoke again.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

Jasper hesitated for a second before answering.

“Jasper.”

“Hi, Jasper.” she said kindly, “I’m Charity.”

“Hi.” Jasper replied shyly, remaining curled up on the ground.

There was a second of silence, then Charity spoke again.

“Do you need to go to the nurse?”

Jasper shook his head, but, as he sat up, he winced. His right elbow and shoulder were sore. Charity stood and reached for his hand.

“Come on, Jasper.” she said gently, “I promise, you’ll feel better once you see the nurse.”

Jasper looked up at Charity, then at her outstretched hand, then back at her again. Finally, deciding it would be best for him to see the nurse, he took Charity’s hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet. Realizing just how sore he felt, Jasper leaned into Charity, limping slightly as they went to the nurse’s office. Charity didn’t seem to mind. As a matter of fact, she provided him with extra support as she wrapped her arm tightly around him.

Once they reached the office, the nurse hurried over. Jasper smiled shyly, then looked down at his feet, overwhelmed with the chaos of the afternoon.

“What class are you coming from, sweetie?” the nurse asked him kindly.

“Mr. Marsh.” Jasper mumbled.

“And you, dear?” the nurse continued, looking at Charity.

“Mrs. Elliot.” she answered.

“And what happened?” the nurse asked Jasper.

He thought for a minute before answering. As much as he hated being mistreated by the three boys, he didn’t actually want them to get in  _ trouble _ .

“Tripped.” Jasper muttered, showing the nurse his bruising elbow.

“Here, let me get you some ice for that.” she answered, walking over to a cabinet behind her desk.

Jasper looked up, glancing over at Charity, who smiled at him. As the nurse returned, she handed the bag of ice to Jasper, who took it gratefully, thanking her. Next, the nurse turned to Charity.

“And what about you, dear?” she asked, “Is there anything you need?”

“No, ma’am.” Charity answered, shaking her head, “I was just helping Jasper out.”

“Well, that’s very kind of you. Now, I need to print out late passes for you two before you can head to your classes.”

“Okay.” Charity said.

They left with their passes and Charity accompanied Jasper to the gym, keeping an eye on him, then, once they were right outside, they stopped, looking at each other.

“Thanks for sticking up for me over there, Charity.” Jasper said, smiling.

“No problem, Jasper.” Charity replied, smiling back, “See you around.”

“See you.” Jasper agreed.

As they went their separate ways, Jasper stood a little taller, more confident.

**Quinn**

Quinn, as always, was self-conscious of his outfit every time he went to school. As usual, he had dug through his very small wardrobe for the least orphan-like outfit he could find, which turned out to be a pair of torn jeans and a faded blue t-shirt.

He went to a small, old school in the middle of a small town. As the orphanage couldn’t afford transportation, he walked to school every morning. This day started pretty well. Quinn kept to himself as best he could whilst still keeping up-to-task on all of his schoolwork. He was starting to hope for a perfect day, and then lunchtime came around.

He sat at his usual table, alone, opening his brown paper bag to find his usual single ham sandwich. Just as he was about to take it out, someone snatched the bag away from him. There was a shout of laughter and Quinn leapt to his feet, whipping around to see a boy from his class looking into his lunch bag.

“You call  _ this _ food?” he asked, pulling out the sandwich, “Gross. But, I suppose, for an  _ orphan _ , that’s not half bad. Nice try, though.”

Before Quinn could do anything, the boy tossed his sandwich towards the trash can. Quinn ran to grab it, but it was too late. He turned to face the boy who had tossed it, but he merely laughed and threw the now-empty bag at him.

“Orphan!” he teased, “Terrible, poor orphan! What you gonna do,  _ cry _ ?”

Quinn felt his self-restraint break. Before he knew it, he lunged at the boy, who screamed. Quinn didn’t even know what he was going to do, but he knew he wanted the boy to regret picking on him. Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm, stopping him from attacking the boy, who was now pretending to be scared of him, though Quinn could see that he was silently laughing.

“Evil orphan! Demon orphan!” the boy teased.

“Really, James, that’s  _ quite _ enough!” a teacher exclaimed.

Quinn felt the person holding him pull on his arm;

“Come on.” he said, “Principal’s office. Now.”

The teacher took the reluctant Quinn down a hallway lined with peeling paint. They reached the principal’s office, the teacher knocked and they walked in. As they did, Quinn pulled his arm out of the teacher’s grip, steadying himself. Taking a deep breath, he let all of his negative emotions fall away, then walked casually forward.

“This student tried to attack another boy.” the teacher explained to the principal, who was sitting behind an old desk, “If I hadn’t stepped in, he could have seriously hurt him.”

“He said I was bad.” Quinn said calmly, “He stole my food. I was just trying to not be hurt.”

“Did the other boy actually attack you?” the principal asked.

Quinn remembered the boy’s words:  _ “Evil orphan! Demon orphan!” _ He knew that was what orphans were, and he knew he couldn’t avoid it, but he  _ could _ avoid punishment.

“Yes.” he answered.

“He didn’t.” the teacher corrected, “James was merely provoking him.”

“Exactly.” Quinn answered, “He was mean, he took my food, he called me bad words.”

The principal spoke.

“I know being without parents is hard for you, Quinn.” she said, “But that does not give you an excuse to use violence as a way to get what you want. You’ve risked suspension and expulsion from this school so many times. If you do this again, you’ll be suspended for the rest of the year. For now, however, you will receive detention every day this week with Mr. Vance.”

“Okay.” Quinn replied, in what he hoped was a tone of shame.

“You may go on to your next class now.” the principal finished, “Mr. Carson will accompany you.”

Quinn followed the teacher out of the office, back down the hall, and along another one to a math classroom. He was glad when the teacher left him as he walked into the classroom and sat at a desk just as the bell rang.

**Jasper**

Jasper ran out to his mom’s car as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the school day. He decided not to mention the fight and instead climbed into the back of the car.

“Hi, Mom!” he exclaimed happily, pulling his seatbelt on.

“Hey, honey.” his mom replied, “How was school?”

“ _ Great _ !” Jasper said, “Oh, and I told Mrs. Williams about the song you wrote for me and she said you should write music for a hobby.”

“That’s kind of her!” his mom agreed.

“I know!” Jasper answered enthusiastically.

They continued their energetic conversation all the way home. When they arrived, his mom made dinner and, afterward, he helped her bake cookies for dessert. As they finished, Jasper closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of the cookies, he had a sudden flash of a memory, but it was too fast for him to make it out properly. All he knew was that it left an empty feeling in his heart, as though a part of him was missing.

_ Why me? Why this? Why now? _ he found himself thinking.

He was distracted from this sudden rush of terrible thoughts as the smell of fresh cookies became even more enticing. After he and his mom ate, Jasper went to brush his teeth. Later his mom came to his room for their nightly cuddles, then, as Jasper fell asleep, he thought no more about the flash of memories he had.

**Quinn**

Quinn ran breathlessly back to the orphanage after school. He stormed up to his room, slamming the door behind him, he threw his backpack onto the floor and kicked it. This only caused a throbbing pain in his toe, and he limped over to his bed, collapsing on it and accidentally hitting his mattress too hard, so that the metal frame underneath collided with his skull. He vigorously massaged that spot for a minute, then, giving in to the headache, he curled up and cried for the second time that day.

Only when there was a knock at the door did Quinn stop crying, sitting up and drying his tears. It was Ms. Richards. She brought him food, then stayed with him, talking to him while he ate ravenously.

“I suppose you don’t want me to ask how school went.” she said, “And I know. If I was in a situation like that, I would have felt pretty mad, too. Believe me.”

Quinn stopped, looking up at her.

“Did you---?” he began.

“Hear about the fight?” she finished for him, “Yeah, I did. You’ve risked expulsion again.”

“I know.” Quinn replied, sighing.

He didn’t know if he would ever recover from what he went through that day, and that alone was enough to keep him quiet for the rest of the time Ms. Richards was in his room. As bedtime came around and she left, Quinn quickly brushed his teeth, changed into his faded pajamas, then climbed into bed, loneliness coming in at him from everywhere now that he was alone.

_ Why me? Why this? Why now? _ he caught himself thinking.

This was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for being interested in the work I've put into this fanfiction, and I really hope you enjoy what is to come!


	3. Highschool and running away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper meets the friend who gives him the strength to be brave and more outgoing in his life.
> 
> Meanwhile, Quinn is still struggling with life at the orphanage, and, eventually, it gets so hard for him that he decides to run away, leading him to meet Robert, Harold, and William, friends who will become such a crucial part in his future plans...

**Jasper**

As the years passed, Jasper grew a little more confident around others. Indeed, if ever he saw a little child being bullied, he would step in and rescue them, as Charity had for him.

In his final year at St. James Middle School, he met a boy who was quite like himself, kind and shy. He was a year below Jasper, but that didn’t stop them from becoming instant friends.

He found that they had a lot in common. Both boys were exceptionally good at math, and both had made friends with some teachers. The other boy’s name was Casper, so they even had similar names! Jasper couldn’t believe the friendship he had stumbled into making.

They remained friends throughout their years at high school as well. In fact, they became closer than ever. The older kids teased them for being “wimps” about not going anywhere alone. But Jasper didn’t mind. He had found someone to temporarily distract him from the hole in his heart that was left by something missing.

In between his junior and senior years at highschool, Jasper took a job at a local deli so that he could help his mom in supporting their family.

**Quinn**

When he was sixteen years old, Quinn decided he couldn’t take any more of being at the orphanage, so, after throwing some essentials into a backpack, he left his room without a backwards glance.

Halfway down the stairs to the main lobby of the orphanage, Ms. Richards spotted him. She hurried over to him. Quinn stopped, trying to look innocent.

“Quinn, honey, where are you going?” Ms. Richards asked, “You don’t have school today.”

“I know that.” Quinn answered casually, “I’m just going for a walk, that’s all.”

“With your backpack?” Ms. Richards asked, suspicious.

“In case I get lost, I have supplies so I can survive until someone finds me.” Quinn explained, quickly thinking up a sufficient story.

“Good boy.” Ms. Richards said, smiling, “Well, just make sure you’re back by lunchtime.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Quinn replied, smiling convincingly and bowing his head respectfully.

Only when Ms. Richards moved to hug him did Quinn break. He ran, bursting through the front doors into the front lawn, dodging past the other orphans. Quinn knew Ms. Richards would know that he had lied to her, and, sure enough, he heard her call for him.

“Quinn! Quinn! Come back!”

Other staff members heard her calls, and they began running after him, but they were no match for his youthful agility, and, eventually, they fell back. Quinn spread his arms wide, like a bird taking flight, still running. He laughed joyfully, feeling as the cool morning air blew against his face, ruffling his hair. He couldn’t believe it. After sixteen years, he was free, after sixteen long, lonely years, he was finally going to find someone who would care for him.

He slowed to a walk, stepping up onto the sidewalk along the road and listening to the birds chirp their morning songs. Now that he was free, he could suddenly hear his thoughts and see flashes of memories. Suddenly, he heard a soft, tender woman’s voice in his head that made him stop.

_ “It’s okay, Quinn. I’m here. Don’t cry. You’re safe now.” _

He caught a vivid picture of a starry night, then, suddenly, the mood changed. The woman’s voice screamed his name.

_ “Quinn! No! You’re not taking him!” _

Quinn jumped with the intensity of the memory. Then, overcome with emotion, he ducked into the forest on the side of the road, making sure he was safely hidden before sitting down with his back against a tree, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. But, the instant he was aware of the memory, it was gone. It had been a subconscious thought. Deciding that memory was merely a fake, made-up story of how he had ended up at the orphanage, Quinn shook his head, pressing his cold palms to his hot and sweaty forehead.

_ Stop it, Quinn _ , he scolded himself,  _ It wasn’t real. If it was, your parents would have come to find you by now. _

He wouldn’t cry anymore. Instead, anger filled him. He stood, balling his fists. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, however, he suddenly felt the emotions drain from him. He had no one to feel for, so why feel at all? He had been pretending long enough, but now, he was free.

He walked back out to the sidewalk, continuing his journey.

**Jasper**

Jasper made several rounds a day, and, soon, he had his entire neighborhood memorized. Everyone was very kind and supportive, which was good. They would sympathize with him, always telling him that they were available to help him and his mom whenever they needed it. He would nod, smiling and thanking them for their support, but, deep down, he felt a twinge of loneliness, their concern reminded him that he didn’t have a dad.

One evening, as Jasper came home from work, he shrugged off his black backpack, collapsing, exhausted, onto the sofa in the front room. His mom walked in from her room, going to sit next to him.

“Welcome home, Jasper.” she said, kissing him on the forehead, “How was work?”

“It’s getting worse.” Jasper answered quietly, closing his eyes, “ _ Everyone _ seems to know something that  _ I _ don’t, and,  _ every _ time, they tell me that they’re ‘free to help.’ It’s like they keep... _ forcing _ the thoughts in my head that I’ve been trying to forget.”

“Oh, honey.” his mom said, tucking his fringe behind his ear and hugging him.

Jasper relaxed into his mother’s embrace, opening his eyes again as he wrapped his arms around her in return. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again.

“What is it? Why don’t I have a dad? How come I never saw him? Where is he?”

There was a second of silence, in which Jasper, for the first time ever, squirmed out of his mother’s embrace. He stared at her for a moment before she answered, looking him directly in the eyes.

“When you were still a baby, your dad and I---had a fight. We ended up divorcing. He took nothing with him.”

Jasper could tell that, as his mom said this, she was still hiding something from him. Again he saw the flash of memory, and he even heard his mother’s screams as she tried to defend him. She had succeeded in saving him, so why was she still not happy?

“There’s something else.” Jasper said, “Every time I feel scared or lonely, I can feel that something---something---inside of me---is---is--- _ missing _ .”

His mother didn’t speak for a moment, then, when she did, her voice trembled with emotion.

“Your father loved you very much. But he was busy. So busy, in fact, that he was rarely home. One day, we got into an argument, because I thought he should spend more time at home with us, instead of shutting himself in his office at work all the time. He missed you dearly, and, whenever he was home, he spent all that time with you.”

“But, then why hasn’t he come back?” Jasper asked, “If he really loved me like you said, why hasn’t he come home?”

“I found out that he remarried about three years ago.” his mom answered, “All I know is that his new wife had twins, both were about your age when she married your father. I do not know their names, and they don’t know yours.”

“Oh…” Jasper said, a sudden weight crashing in, “Okay.”

“Oh, Jasper.” his mom replied, hugging him, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jasper said, smiling faintly as his mom pulled away, “I still have you.”

“You will always be my beautiful boy.” his mom promised, smiling.

Jasper smiled.

“Thanks, Mom. I love you, too.”

**Quinn**

Quinn walked for the rest of that day, with no clue as to where he was going. He only stopped to eat a sandwich he had packed. When he continued walking, he moved with a purpose, and, as though something was drawing him to that place, he ended up in a small suburban neighborhood.

Carefully shielding his eyes with his hand, Quinn looked up at the sunset, which was a beautiful mix of purple and orange. Smiling vaguely, he looked away, walking up the steps of the nearest house to the raised porch. Before he could reach the front door, however, there was a voice behind him.

“Hey, kid, what are you doing on my porch?”

Quinn turned, cautious, to see another boy about a year older than him standing behind him on the steps. Surprised, all Quinn could do was splutter an unintelligible response. The other boy chuckled, then spoke again.

“Well, you don’t look much like a package thief to me, so I’d say you’re safe. Where are your parents?”

At this statement, Quinn looked away.

“I have no parents.” he muttered, “Go on, call me a dirty, filthy orphan. I dare you.”

“I wasn’t going to.” the other boy said, “What’s your name?”

“Why do you care?” Quinn asked.

“So I have something to call you besides what you don’t want me to.” the other boy replied.

Quinn hesitated, then spoke.

“Quinn.”

“Nice to meet you, Quinn.” the other boy answered, “I’m Robert. Robert Paulson.”

“Nice to meet you too, Robert.” Quinn replied, smiling as he shook the boy’s hand.

“Hey, so, my friends and I were planning on watching a movie in about an hour, would you like to join us?” Robert asked.

“Sounds fun.” Quinn answered, “I mean, I’ve never been able to aff---I-I mean, they didn’t have movies at the orphanage…”

He felt his cheeks burn.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Robert said, smiling, “Come on, let’s get inside. I bet you could do with a nice shower and some fresh clothes.”

Quinn silently agreed, following Robert into the house. Robert went into his room for a second, then came back out with a pair of bright blue jeans and a neon green t-shirt.

“I thought you would like something different.” he said, holding the clothes out to Quinn, “You know, something a little more colorful.”

“Thanks.” Quinn replied, still slightly dazed by the bright colors, “But I’m not much of a colorful person anyway, so I don’t mind.”

“Well, first impressions are important, so I think I’ve got  _ just  _ the right thing for you.” Robert told him.

Robert disappeared into his room again. This time, when he came out, he was carrying a black t-shirt and brown jeans.

“That’s better.” Quinn noted, smiling.

“Alright, then.” Robert said, “Take your time. We’ll be down in the garage when you’re finished.”

“Okay.” Quinn replied, “See you soon.”

“Cool.” Robert said, “Oh, and, while we’re at it, I think I know a pretty decent place you could start working at in a few days. It’s not a  _ big _ thing, but it’s definitely enough to earn you some money so you can buy your own clothes.”

“Thanks.” Quinn answered, smiling slightly.

Robert nodded, satisfied, then left the house, leaving Quinn alone again. Quinn went into the bathroom to find that it was a much nicer room than the one at the orphanage. As he got in, he noticed that the water was a lot warmer and felt softer, in a way. As he carefully wet his hair, he giggled slightly as the water tickled the back of his neck. He hoped Robert would let him stay.

**Jasper**

As Jasper lay in bed that night, he was suddenly aware that  _ someone _ had come close to his house. He was shocked at how he had been able to  _ sense _ them, and he was even more blown away by the fact that he felt a strange connection to them.

Suddenly restless, he climbed out of bed, going to look out of his window. There was no one there, but he was absolutely  _ certain _ that  _ someone significant _ had indeed passed his house.

“Come on, who are you?” he whispered.

He wanted to find them, but, knowing his mom would scold him for being out after sunset, he stayed. His yearning made him feel agitated, and he paced his room. Trying to distract himself from the strange feeling, he paced different shapes, only picturing them in his mind. He walked in a circle, then a figure-eight, then along the square edges of his room, returning to a figure-eight.

This wasn’t working, and he went back to pacing straight lines, picking up things for no reason whatsoever, putting them back down again, then doing the same on the other side of his room. He did this until he was no longer aware of his body, moving subconsciously, until he felt as though he were floating, not really a part of the world. He ended up dropping a hard-cover book on his foot.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed, picking up the book, replacing it on the shelf, then hobbling over to his bed, sitting down and beginning to massage his foot gently.

This sudden pain helped him to momentarily forget about ‘the person’.

His door opened, and he looked up to see his mom walk in. She sat next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” she asked, “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I...s---heard---someone---outside.” Jasper answered, realizing it would sound bad if he said he had  _ sensed _ the person.

“Did you see who it was?” his mom asked.

Jasper shook his head.

“They had already walked past the house before I could get a proper look.”

“And you sounded like you hurt yourself a minute ago.” his mom noticed, “What happened?”

“I---dropped something. As I was cleaning.” Jasper answered slowly, careful not to make it sound as though he had become agitated by the presence of the person outside, “But I’m okay now.”

He smiled convincingly, though it felt more like a grimace. His mom noticed.

“Come here.” she said as she walked to his door, “I promise, you can tell me everything.”

Jasper nodded, then, randomly, he felt as tears stung his eyes. He could feel the presence of the person again, though, now, it felt as though they were  _ inside _ of him. He realized that the hole in his heart caused by that ‘something’ that was missing was healing slightly.

He followed his mom outside, and they sat in the two lawn chairs. Jasper felt his gaze automatically shift up towards the starry sky. A full moon glowed brightly down at him. He felt a smile form on his face as he pictured astronauts walking up there. How cool it would be to float up there with them.

But, he reminded himself, looking over at his mom, he would stay on Earth because he was taking care of the person he loved most. His mom saw him looking at her, and they both smiled at the exact same moment. Both of them seemed to have forgotten about what had happened in Jasper’s room, and, after a while, they said goodnight to each other and went off to bed. Jasper didn’t think about the mysterious person again for a long time.


	4. The Missing Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jasper struggles with the prospect of his friend, Casper, leaving for college, Quinn secures a job at a community records office. A while after he got the job, Quinn finds out about Jasper, and notices his father's wealth, which encourages him to plot to steal Jasper's identity in order to inherit the estate.

**Quinn**

A few days later, with Robert’s help, Quinn found a decent job at the community records office. For a while, each day went as it should.. After work, he walked home to find Robert and his friends, Harold and William, waiting for him. They would have dinner together, talking about their day, then Robert would turn on a movie in the garage and they would lose themselves in it.

After about two years of this routine, however, something happened that changed Quinn’s perspective once again.

At work one day, he was reorganizing his desk when one of the closed files fell onto the ground, causing the papers inside of it to come spilling out. As Quinn bent down to pick up the mess, one of the papers caught his eye and his heart pounded excitedly. He picked it up, seeing the picture of a man on it. Underneath it, the man’s name was listed.

David Morrison

Quinn read through the paper. He discovered that this man, David, had divorced from his wife, Molly Hills, sixteen years previously, then, thirteen years later, he married a woman named Jessica Vance. This, however, wasn’t the information that excited him. He saw that the man was very rich, and that he didn’t have an heir, at least not one that he lived with. Quinn’s eyes flicked from this up to the information about this man’s first marriage.

He saw that, in his first marriage, Morrison had had twin sons, one whose name and residence was unknown. They had been born on June 16th, 1996 and were now 18.

Quinn sighed. He wished he had a rich father, who could provide for the family he also needed.

**Jasper**

Two days later, Jasper came home to find that evening’s newspaper, as usual, on the dining room table. He had never paid attention to it before but, this time, it caught his eye. His name was printed underneath a picture of a small baby. He picked up the newspaper, reading it.

WANTED: Jasper Hills-Morrison

David Morrison has recently claimed to be the father of a now  18 -year-old by the name of Jasper. He now wishes for him to be found and returned to him. Reward money: $1,600.

Jasper got a sick feeling in his stomach and stopped reading, putting the newspaper back down. Absorbed in the article, he hadn’t noticed his mom walk in, and, now, he looked up to see her looking at him, a worried expression on her face.

“Please tell me you won’t go looking for him.” she whispered.

“I won’t.” Jasper promised her, “He sounds like a pretty...not nice person…”

There was a second of silence, Jasper could see as his mom teetered for a second, on the verge of telling him something he could tell was important.

“What is it, Mom?” he asked.

His mom took a deep breath, then spoke, her voice trembling.

“Shortly after we divorced, your father ordered someone to kidnap you and bring you to him. I knew it was more than him just being desperate for an heir, because, either way, you would inherit his estate. In  _ fact _ , I think…”

Her voice trailed off, but Jasper didn’t want her to finish if it was something bad. He nodded, speaking quietly.

“I promise I’ll stay here.” he walked over to his mom and hugged her; “If you’ve gone this long protecting me, why doubt your amazing abilities now? Mom, you’re the best person in the  _ world _ , I  _ know _ you wouldn’t let anything bad happen.”

He pulled away from her, smiling reassuringly, then taking her hand and squeezing it.

“I _ promise _ I’ll be careful.” he said, “I’ll return home before sunset, I’ll help you make sure all the doors and windows are locked each night. I’ll even---” he smiled in a mischievous way, “---I  _ might _ even set some pretty nice booby traps, if you want me to.”

His mom laughed, then took his other hand and squeezed it in return.

“You really are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Jasper smiled, then stepped away.

“I’ll make dinner tonight. You, meanwhile, can rest assured that I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”

Aware that he had suddenly swapped roles with his mother for that night, he kissed her on the forehead, then, after making sure she was comfortable, he busied himself making dinner.

**Quinn**

It was particularly windy as Quinn made his way back home after work one day. So windy, in fact, that, before he had time to react, a newspaper blew right into his face. Struggling with it for a second, he saw a picture of a little baby. Underneath it was Jasper’s name, and a short sentence explaining that he was being looked for. Quinn carefully tore the cover from the newspaper, folding it and stuffing it in his pocket. He threw the rest of the newspaper into a nearby trash can, then ran the rest of the way home.

After greeting his housemates, Quinn walked quickly downstairs, shutting himself in his room, sitting down at his desk, and pulling out the newspaper clipping again. It seemed Jasper kept popping up wherever he looked, and he felt he needed to find out more about him. He pulled his laptop towards him and typed Jasper’s name into the search bar. He was surprised when results actually popped up. He checked that they really were about Jasper, then clicked on one of the links. He wrote down everything he found out, even the random bits, like Jasper being in a 1997 Pampers commercial.

He found more recent headshots of Jasper, and was overjoyed when he saw that he and this stranger looked almost exactly the same. He wondered for a minute where that joy had come from, then dismissed the thought. Just then, there was a knock at his door, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Dinner’s going to be ready in ten minutes.” William’s voice said, “You okay in there?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Quinn replied as if enthusiastically, “I’ll be there soon!”

“Okay.”

He waited until William’s footsteps had faded away before setting to work again.

“Alright, Jasper, where are you?” Quinn whispered, smiling as he found him on an employees page for a local deli.

After writing more information down, he decided to stop for the night but a plan was forming in his mind. He knew all of this would take time, including learning as much as he could about Jasper in order to lure him in. Quinn relaxed. He knew he needed to work calmly and slowly. Finally, he stood, glancing once more at the picture of Jasper before turning and leaving his room, closing and locking the door behind him.

**Jasper**

Jasper kept his promise to his mother, even forgetting about that feeling of a person who had made him agitated and worried. For about two years, he went around making his runs as normal, and, on many Saturdays, visiting Casper. They had finished high school and Casper was going off to college in the fall. They often spent their weekends entertaining the neighborhood kids with stories and tricks.

After a lot of experimenting, Jasper had learned how to create some pretty neat contraptions, but, most of the time, he merely made origami animals for the little kids.  As ever, Jasper was a lot more confident around Casper and felt braver about introducing himself to people.

But, all too soon, Casper was on his way to college, and Jasper was alone again. His mom noticed the negative effect this had on his mood, and she made suggestions to him as he lay, defeated, on the sofa each day after work.

“You could try making more friends.”

Jasper shook his head. The only reason he had managed to become friends with Casper was because he was one of the only people who didn’t force himself on him and, also, that they had so much in common.

Then Jasper thought of Charity, who had moved with her family as soon as she had finished college. He suddenly realized just how much he was missing her too.

“At least you and Casper can email each other.” his mom tried again, “I know it’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing.”

Jasper nodded in agreement, sighing. He could write to Charity, too so that he could imagine he was talking to her and telling her everything..He walked into his room, opened his laptop and started an email to Charity.

Hey, Charity! How have you been? Sorry I haven’t written in a while, this job at the deli has been keeping me busy day and night now that I’m out of school.

Casper recently went off to college, so now...I need your help. I feel so alone, but I can’t bring myself to talk to people now that my two best friends are gone. You two are the only people that help me feel braver.

Charity, I really miss you and I want you to come back, at least for a visit. Please.

Finishing the email, Jasper sent it, closed his laptop, then went back out to the dining room for dinner.

**Quinn**

In the two years that had passed since his discovery of Jasper, Quinn had worked hard at his plan. He had risen above Robert and the others, who now respected him as a leader through his powers of manipulation.

He created a cult based around Jasper. After compiling a book with everything he now knew about him, he left it for the others to read, hoping that this sudden burst of knowledge would catch their imagination.

In the process of creating the cult, he had changed once again. He took on the title of Jasper Prime, while he also called the other three Jasper.

About a month later, he found and recruited another member, Benjamin, controlling him until he was confident he wouldn’t turn on him.

Quinn began to behave the way he had read other cult leaders did; he was sacrificing animals to gain the others’ trust. At first, it was hard, watching an innocent animal die but, soon, he felt as it began to affect him less and less, until he no longer felt any emotion at the death of an animal.

Several years passed, as Quinn planned and plotted, waiting for the moment to be right.

A week before Quinn decided to put his plan into action, two more young men knocked at the door of the cult’s home. Their names were Alex and Ryan. He found that they didn’t require any level of manipulation to draw them into the cult.

**Jasper**

Jasper soon found that he  _ did _ feel better now he was communicating with Charity and Casper. Soon, he began to feel a bit braver on his own. He made more friends around the neighborhood, and even met a girl about his age who he instantly liked. It was such a strong feeling, in fact, that he blushed when he first met her, spluttering and tripping over his words. In spite of this, she seemed to quite like him, and she giggled sweetly whenever he couldn’t find his words.

Her name was Elizabeth, or Eliza, for short. She had long, yellow-blonde hair, in which she wore a different-colored bow each day, and bright green eyes.

One day, when he was feeling particularly brave, Jasper decided he would ask Eliza out on a date.

He knew it must have been fate asking him to do this, because, when he checked his phone that morning, he found an email from Charity. He opened it, reading it excitedly.

Hey, Jasper! Flynn and I are in town today and we were thinking of going to that fancy restaurant on Wildcat Road. I was wondering if you and Eliza would like to join us. It could be a double date! Besides, you want to make a good first impression on her.

See you at 11?

Jasper punched the air in his excitement, then instantly wrote back.

You bet! I just need to work up the courage to ask Eliza first. Wish me luck!

He was surprised when Charity wrote back almost instantly.

I believe in you! You’ve got this! Good luck!

Jasper laughed quietly, then went to get ready for the day. After breakfast he left the house, walking down the road to the place where Eliza usually sat under a tree, reading a book. As he walked, he tried to figure out what he was going to say. He didn’t want to sound stupid, but, to a girl, he didn’t know what  _ stupid _ was. He decided that he would merely greet her in the usual friendly way and then work from there. He took a deep breath, standing taller as he approached the tree where, sure enough, Eliza was sitting in the shade, absorbed in her latest favorite sci-fi book.

Deciding it would seem creepy if he just randomly went to sit next to her, Jasper spoke from where he was.

“Hey, Eliza.” he said, suddenly  _ very _ aware of how shy he sounded.

“Hello, Jasper.” Eliza answered, looking up and smiling.

Though Eliza’s expression was kind and welcoming, Jasper immediately wished he could just evaporate on the spot. He looked nervously down at his feet, trying not to fiddle with his hands. When he could work up the courage again, he looked back up at Eliza.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

Marking her spot in the book with her thumb, Eliza closed the book and held it up; 

“ _ The Space Beyond the Wormhole _ .It’s quite interesting. You said before that you’re quite a big fan of space.”

“What?” Jasper asked, then, giving his head a vigorous shake, he corrected himself, “I-I mean---yes---yes, I am. I used to want to be an astronaut, but---”

“But you chose to stay home and help your mom.” Eliza finished, nodding and smiling again so that Jasper had to resist the urge to look away, though he felt as though he was looking directly into the sun, “Trust me, if I were you, I would have done the same. You did the right thing.”

Very slowly, Jasper felt a smile form on his face.

“Thanks.” he said in a quiet voice.

Eliza laughed quietly, finally glancing away from him and looking down at her book again. Jasper was confused. Was she being shy? Now? But he thought that was  _ his _ job. He suddenly wondered whether he had said something wrong, but, just as he began to panic, Eliza looked up at him again.

“Well, I bet you don’t want to end up scorching in the sun all day.” she noted, sticking a bookmark in her book, placing it down next to her, and patting the ground invitingly, “Come on, it’s really nice and cool in the shade.”

After hesitating for a second, Jasper suddenly felt just how hot he was, directly under the sun’s rays. He moved to sit next to Eliza.

_ Come on, now’s the perfect time to ask her _ , he told himself,  _ You’ve only got about two more hours until you’re supposed to meet Charity and Flynn at the restaurant. _

But, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. He didn’t want to ruin this perfect moment. He found himself staring at the bottle-green bow in her hair, which she had put up in a tight bun with a hairband of the same color.

Suddenly, he felt something crawl up his arm, and he looked to see a large, dark blue beetle. He tensed. He was absolutely terrified of bugs. Eliza saw what he was looking at, and she held out her hand, allowing the beetle to crawl onto her instead. From the moment her soft skin touched his arm, Jasper shivered, not because he was afraid of the beetle.

He glanced at the beetle on Eliza’s palm, watching it crawl around harmlessly. He was suddenly aware that he wasn’t afraid of the beetle if it wasn’t on him. In fact, from this perspective, he thought it looked quite pretty. That is, until it revealed dark blue wings and flew at him, buzzing loudly in his face. He involuntarily scrambled backwards, only to run into the tree trunk. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as the beetle came very close, and, a second later, he felt it land on his nose.

He heard Eliza giggle, and he opened his eyes carefully to see her sitting with her hand over her mouth, a bright twinkle in her green eyes. She leaned closer, gently blowing the beetle so that it flew away. Jasper flinched once more, closing his eyes tightly for a second and only opening them again once he couldn’t feel or hear the beetle any more.

Looking at Eliza, he suddenly realized how close they were. She seemed to have noticed this, too, because they both looked away at the exact same moment. Jasper was the first to recover, taking a deep breath and looking over at her, who was fiddling with a single blade of grass. He cleared his throat, then spoke.

“So, um...do---do you want to---um---go somewhere---for---for lunch---today?”

She looked at him right as he felt his face burn. Why did he have to go red now? _ Why _ ?

“Sure.” Eliza answered, smiling, “Where were you thinking of going?”

“Well...a few of my friends are in town and---they were wondering---if we could---arrange a double-date at the restaurant on Wildcat Road.” Jasper said slowly.

“That sounds fun.” Eliza remarked, “What time are we leaving?”

“Eleven.” Jasper answered.

“Alright.” Eliza said, picking up her book and standing, “See you then?”

“See you then.” Jasper agreed, getting to his feet beside her.

Before he could react, Eliza had planted a quick kiss on his cheek, then walked away up the sidewalk. Jasper remained where he was, frozen in surprise, the place on his cheek where Eliza’s lips had touched burning. He smiled to himself.

“See you.” he said quietly.

Finally, he turned and walked back up to his home, an extra, excited spring in his step.

**Quinn**

After a last bit of poking around, Quinn found a solution that he thought he might need in order for his plan to work.

As he made his way home, he heard voices behind him, a young man and woman. He quickly ducked out of sight, peering from his hiding place as they walked past, absorbed in a conversation. They were both formally dressed. The girl was in a periwinkle blue dress, with a matching flower in her hair, while the boy, who Quinn recognized immediately as Jasper, was dressed in a  navy blue tuxedo

To remain silent as an enormous wave of frustration and annoyance washed over him, Quinn grunted in disgust as they passed. Of  _ course _ Jasper now had to make this more difficult by getting a  _ girlfriend _ . Quinn only hoped Jasper’s new date wouldn’t get too much in the way.

As soon as Jasper and his girlfriend had rounded the corner, Quinn slipped away silently, making his way back home.

**Jasper**

Jasper had never felt more elated, lucky, and nervous in his life. He and Eliza reached the restaurant in a few minutes, finding Charity and Flynn waiting for them, hand-in-hand.

“Nice theme.” Charity commented, noticing their matching blue outfits.

“Thanks.” Jasper said, smiling.

He and Eliza followed Charity and Flynn inside, and the four of them found a table. As soon as they had placed their orders, they began talking about their lives, relaxed and confident in each other’s company.

As soon as he finished his food, however, Jasper felt his attention begin to drift away as the restaurant filled up. He stared into the depths of his dark red, fizzing cranberry juice, watching the bubbles as they rose to the surface, sank a little, then stuck to the insides of the glass.

Suddenly, he felt as someone took his hand, and he glanced up to see Eliza looking at him with a worried expression.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Jasper answered, smiling bravely, “I just---don’t like being around too many people.”

“Well, then we can go, if you want.” Eliza suggested, “I’d rather be somewhere I can just be with you, anyway.”

Jasper couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he smiled in response.

“Sounds good.”

They wrapped up their conversation and said goodbye to their friends, agreeing they should meet up again before leaving.

Eliza and Jasper walked to their tree. Eliza had brought her book, so, while Jasper rested his head on her lap, his eyes closed, she read to him. He smiled when he found out that the main character’s name was Jasper, and he imagined himself flying through space, discovering alien planets with all sorts of strange life forms on them.

They spent the rest of the afternoon there, but, as the sun sank lower in the sky, Jasper sighed, sitting up.

“I have to go.” he said, “My mom doesn’t like it if I’m out after dark.”

“No wonder she doesn’t.” Eliza agreed, “Not after what happened with...well, you know who I’m talking about…”

It was as if a bar of tension had formed between them as Jasper realized exactly who she was talking about. Of  _ course _ she had found out about his dad. How could she not have? He was out asking for reward money for anyone who found and returned Jasper.

Jasper was suddenly aware that no one had tried to come after him since the article had come out. He wondered if this was because all his neighbors were far too close to him and his mom to pay any attention to what an evil man wanted.

“Well, anyway, goodnight.” Jasper said to Eliza, smiling to ease the tension.

“Goodnight, Jasper.” Eliza replied.

Standing, Jasper made to leave, but, just as suddenly as before, Eliza kissed him. Not on the cheek this time, but on the lips. Jasper knew he shouldn’t have reacted the way he did, but he found that he couldn’t help it. He relaxed completely, closing his eyes as he leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms naturally around Eliza.

As suddenly as it began, it was over, and they broke out of the kiss, still holding onto each other. Still in disbelief, all Jasper could do for a moment was stare at her, then, finally, he moved, tucking a loose strand of Eliza’s soft, blonde hair behind her ear. Then, unable to resist, he kissed her once more, quickly, then let go.

“Okay, for real now, before I get in trouble, goodnight.” he laughed.

“Goodnight.” Eliza said, laughing with him.

They went their separate ways. Jasper still felt light-headed and elated, even after he made it home. As he collapsed, suddenly exhausted, on the sofa, his mom walked over to him, sitting beside him.

“How was your day?” she asked.

“Amazing.” he said dreamily, “I just kissed her. I kissed Eliza.”

And, with that, he fell asleep, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.


	5. The cult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Jasper finally cross paths, but without knowing they are twins. Quinn attempts to kidnap Jasper to steal his identity in order to inherit his father's estate, and, most importantly, to have a father figure in his life, which he never had. After they manage to switch, Jasper, disguised as Quinn, gives a speech at the dinner table, which ultimately leads to Quinn's change of heart. But danger strikes once more before Quinn is able to say anything about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the plot starts getting into the actual events that happened in Nicholas Podany's film series, "Jasper," which I really urge you to check out on YouTube. Obviously, I've still added my own details in between, and put in character thoughts that were not voiced in the actual film series itself. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!

**Quinn**

Ready to put his plan into action, Quinn made sure everything was ready before the other cult members arrived. A week had passed since he had had his first sight of Jasper and, now, Quinn was walking around his room, checking that he had everything he needed. He pulled open a drawer in his desk to look at the small bottle of chloroform lying next to a few cloths. He was hoping that he wouldn’t need to use it.

Sighing, he walked upstairs, then called the deli. As they answered, he waited patiently, then spoke.

“Hey, yes, could I please have some chicken delivered to my home?” he paused as they responded, “Yes. Oh, and could Jasper bring it? He’s an old friend of mine, but don’t tell him I said that. Thank you.”

Only once he had hung up and turned to see his cult members arriving did Quinn notice that Alex and Ryan were tense. He walked over to them.

“Why are you two so worried?” he asked, keeping his voice light and calm, “It’s just a normal day, nothing bad is going to happen.”

Just then, Alex lunged at Quinn.

“You liar!” he shouted, “You’re going to k---”

But Alex was cut off, yelping in pain as Quinn kicked him hard in the shin. While he was still on the ground, Robert and Harold grabbed Alex, and Ryan, though he hadn’t done anything, was seized by Benjamin and William. Quinn looked down at Alex with a calm expression.

“What did I say about speaking of negative things happening to Jasper?” he said in a quiet, yet dangerous, voice.

“But  _ you’re _ going to hu---” Ryan began, breaking free from Benjamin and William’s grasp and preparing to fight Quinn.

Quinn moved fast, kicking Ryan hard and forcing him into a kneeling position next to Alex. They needed to know that growing up in an orphanage had prepared him for everything. This time, Quinn crouched down so that he was at eye level with them. Ryan tried to look away, but William forced him to face forward.

“You two are brothers, am I correct?” Quinn asked Alex and Ryan, who nodded reluctantly, “Twins?” They nodded again. “Well, then that makes this much easier. Now, if one of you talks or moves against me again, then the other will be punished.  _ Severely _ .”

The twins froze for a second, then, reluctantly, they nodded to show that they understood.

“ _ Say _ that you understand.” Quinn demanded.

Alex and Ryan didn’t move, but Quinn remained calm.

“Say it. Say ‘We understand, Jasper Prime.’” he urged in a gentle, quiet voice, “Come on, it’s not that hard.”

“We understand.” Alex and Ryan muttered.

“Come on, who are you talking to?” Quinn asked, “What’s my name?”

But Alex and Ryan seemed reluctant to say it.

“Come on, you know what’ll happen if you ignore your leader.” Quinn warned, “What’s my name?”

“Jasper Prime.” Alex and Ryan muttered.

“Louder. Say it louder.” Quinn said.

“Jasper Prime.” they answered clearly.

“Louder!” Quinn exclaimed.

He had them repeat this until they were practically screaming his name. With a wave of satisfaction, he saw that this seemed to be hurting them, but he didn’t stop until he saw the broken look in their eyes, their blank, lost, and almost fearful gaze of submission.

“Very good.” Quinn said, then, standing, he resumed his gentle demeanor, helping Alex and Ryan to their feet, “Now, I have just placed an order from the deli where Jasper works, so he should be here soon. Let’s get ready, shall we?”

And, with that, he and his cult began to set up for their “service.”

**Jasper**

As soon as Jasper had collected everything he was planning on delivering that day from the deli, he made his way to the first house. As he was walking, Eliza caught up to him.

“Hey, Jasper!” she exclaimed, “Where are you off to today?”

“Well, I have to make a few rounds, but the last one was quite strange…” he answered, “According to my boss, the guy who had called to order chicken didn’t leave a name. But I assume he’ll be upset when he finds that we’re out of chicken…”

“Where does he live?” Eliza asked curiously.

“Just down the street from my place, I think.” Jasper said, “Why?”

Eliza’s brow furrowed, then a worried expression crossed her face.

“I’ve heard about that guy…” she wondered aloud, “He’s got some pretty strange friends… I think he’s kind of creepy, to be honest. Only two of his friends seem as though they don’t want anything to do with him, but then, that doesn’t explain why they keep coming back to him.”

“You know this guy?” Jasper asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” Eliza answered, “He moved into the neighborhood shortly after I did. Well, he moved in with one of his friends, who I don’t  _ think _ was his friend initially, but… I mean, the guy looked like a runaway when he first came into the neighborhood, but maybe that’s just me being paranoid.”

“Do you know his name?” Jasper wondered, curious.

“No,” Eliza said, “At least, not really. Sometimes, when they pass by my place, I can hear his friends talking about him. They call him Prime, but that’s all I’ve heard.”

Jasper nodded vaguely, needing to pay attention as he made the first delivery. He turned his full attention back to Eliza as they continued walking. As Jasper finished making the second to last delivery, Eliza spoke up about the creepy guy again.

“Jasper, I have a bad feeling about this guy…” she said, “What did he order from you?”

“Just some chicken, but we didn’t have any, so I’m bringing him a banana instead.” Jasper answered, “Why?”

“Oh…” Eliza said, “Well, just---just---be careful. I’ll come with you, just in case.”

As they approached the last house, Jasper stopped at the bottom of the stairs to the raised porch, turning to look at Eliza.

“Don’t come with me.” he said, “If this guy is really what you say he is, then I’d better go alone. I’m not risking you getting hurt. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Okay…” Eliza answered, looking uneasy.

“Oh, come on, Eliza.” Jasper said, smiling reassuringly, “I’ll be fine. He’s just a creepy guy, after all. I’m not scared.”

Eliza didn’t answer.

“Go home, Eliza.” Jasper continued, “You’ve had a long day, and, trust me, a walk around the entire neighborhood is  _ not _ easy.”

“Okay.” Eliza replied, sighing, “Well, just...call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Will do.” Jasper answered, kissing her, “See you soon. Love you.” he found himself saying out loud but then he relaxed when she replied;

“I love you too, Jasper.” 

As soon as she walked away, Jasper felt the energy drain out of him, and the heat of the day burned his skin. He adjusted his purple windbreaker, then started up the porch steps. Once he reached the front door, he knocked.

“Delivery.” he announced.

The door opened to reveal a guy sitting in a chair, wearing a black-spotted white shirt, dark grey jeans, a pale grey denim jacket, and a bronze necklace. Jasper tossed a banana to him, then started to walk away.

“Y---I asked for chicken!” the guy called, but Jasper didn’t stop.

“Your order has been replaced due to a shortage of the requested---” he began, eager to get away.

“Hold up, sorry.”

Jasper turned to see as the guy leaned casually against the doorframe.

“Were you the baby on the 1997 packaging for Pampers Overnight Diapers?”

“Yes…” Jasper answered slowly, confused.

“Um, what’s up, dude?” the guy asked, smiling.

“Hey…” Jasper greeted carefully.

“Jasper, right?”

“Uh...yeah.” Jasper confirmed.

“You went to St. James Middle School?”

“Yeah.”

“Were you, like, crushed it in math class?”

“I mean, I was okay…” Jasper answered, smiling slightly. Was this some kind of joke?

“Come on, everyone was using a TI 84 and my man was using a TI 86.” the other guy said.

“Yeah, my calculator was pretty cool.” Jasper laughed.

“And you wanted to be an astronaut?”

“I mean, yeah, but I---” Jasper began.

“But when your parents got divorced, you decided to stay at home to help your mother through those tough years.” the other guy glanced kindly down at him.

This was the first piece of information that they had got partially incorrect, Jasper thought, but that didn’t stop him from being shocked, even a little impressed.

“Uh, yeah.”

“She’s so proud of you, dude.” the other guy said, smiling.

“Really?”

“Look, Jasper, I know things might get hard sometimes, but you’ve gotta know that you are making so many peoples’ lives brighter by just being you.”

“Really?” Jasper asked again, smiling.

“Really, dude.”

“How do you know so much about me?”

“Oh, we all worship you.” the other guy said, gesturing into the house.

“Really?”

“Yeah, we studied your Pampers packaging and now we, like, worship you.” the other guy answered, waving his hand airily.

“Oh!” Jasper exclaimed, unsure whether he should be surprised or amused.

“We sacrifice animals in your name.”

“That can’t be legal…” Jasper started, now feeling quite sure this was all a joke.

“The service starts in, like, ten minutes, you wanna join?”

“Yes, yeah, absolutely.” Jasper answered, deciding he would try to see what was behind this strange joke.

He followed the other guy inside, where about six people were sitting around the room.

**Quinn**

Quinn closed the door behind them, then turned to face his cult, speaking.

“Okay, everyone, kind of some earth-shaking news. Um, this is Jasper.” he said, looking at Jasper, who seemed quite confused.

“Hey…” Jasper said, raising his hand uncertainly in greeting.

“Jasper, this is Alex, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Ryan, Jasper, and I’m Jasper Prime.” Quinn introduced his cult members.

“Hey.” they said together.

Jasper didn’t answer, so Quinn decided to explain.

“Alex and Ryan are new.” he whispered.

“Okay…” Jasper said quietly.

“So it turns out they didn’t actually have any chicken for us to sacrifice.” Quinn continued, walking over to the small table in the corner of the room and clearing off the cutting board that was on it, “But, as they say, no harm, no fowl. So, um---” he looked at Jasper, smiling slightly, “This one’s for you.”

After placing the banana on the cutting board, Quinn picked up a knife and sliced it in half.

“Love, sleep, and play.” he chanted with his cult.

“Pampers.” Benjamin finished.

Quinn and the others looked at Jasper, waiting for a reaction. Finally, Jasper spoke.

“Oh, um...yum, thank you.”

“Cool.” Quinn said, smiling, then looking back at his cult, “That was dope.”

They agreed, then Alex began to quietly play the guitar he was holding.

“We actually don’t deliver live chickens.” Jasper pointed out.

Quinn looked up from the banana, which he had been slicing into small pieces.

“Oh, uh, Jasper, if you could just wash your hands for twenty seconds before, please.”

“Hey, I already washed my hands!” Benjamin exclaimed jokingly.

“No, not  _ you _ , Jasper.” Quinn replied, smiling.

Benjamin laughed.

“That’s gotta be repetitive.” Jasper noted.

“Twenty seconds, please.” Quinn said.

As Jasper disappeared into the bathroom, Quinn turned to face his cult.

“Jaspers, come with me to set up for dinner.” he said, “Alex, Ryan, you two stay here and, ah---keep an eye on him.”

Quinn didn’t know why he was trusting Alex and Ryan to do this, he just hoped that they would behave because they knew what would happen if they didn’t.

**Jasper**

As Jasper finished washing his hands, he heard the sudden scraping of knives, and he looked through the keyhole to see Alex holding the two knives. He looked away, a sick feeling in his stomach.

“And it was at this moment I realized I had made a terrible mistake.” he said to himself.

Realizing the full extent of his predicament, Jasper got up and paced. He thought of Eliza, who was so close that she could get there in time, but he didn’t want to risk putting her in danger, not with Alex and Ryan right outside the bathroom door.

As he continued to pace, he felt it. For the first time in over seven years, he felt the presence of ‘the person’. He wondered if it was a member of this strange cult. But that couldn’t be right. If the cult had been around for that long, how did they only just find him? Or...he got a sick feeling in his stomach at this thought...what if they had been watching him the entire time?

After a while, he heard as Alex and Ryan began to speak, and he came back to the keyhole, listening closely.   
“This is taking too long. All the Jaspers are probably finished setting up.” Ryan said.

“Calm down, Ryan.” Alex said calmly, brushing his hand carefully over the blade of one of the knives.

“We should check on him.” Ryan decided.

“No.” Alex said firmly.

“Why not?” Ryan asked.

“Because he’s probably pooping.” Alex said quietly.

“No one takes twenty minutes.” Ryan answered, frustrated.

“Jasper Fact 813: Jasper is a shy pooper.” Alex recited.

Jasper got to his feet, shaking his head. Where would they have learned that?

“You actually memorized that?” he heard Ryan ask.

“I found some of them interesting.” Alex answered, “Jasper Fact 1,028: Jasper likes giving asides.”

“No I don’t.” Jasper whispered, glancing at the closed door, then resuming his pacing, a sick feeling of worry coursing through him.

“Jasper Fact 622: Jasper has a phobia of windows in bathrooms.” Alex continued.

“How would you know that?” Jasper said quietly as he began carefully and quietly opening the window, seeing it as the only way to escape.

“They’re going to be back any second, Alex, we should go in.” he heard Ryan say.

“Just give him a minute.” Alex suggested, as Jasper managed to climb out of the window and onto the tiled roof, balancing carefully.

“No, we’ve got to go in.”

“ _ Ryan _ .” Alex protested.

“Come on.” Ryan answered.

Jasper ducked out of sight just as the bathroom door opened.

“Uh oh.” Ryan said quietly.

Jasper waited for a second, then carefully climbed down from the roof onto the porch, hurrying down the steps. Just as he felt that he was free, he ran into Jasper Prime at the bottom off the stairs.

“Whoa!” he cried.

“Jasper?” Jasper Prime asked, surprised, “What are you doing out here? I was just about to go get you.”

“Oh---r-really?” Jasper stammered, fear penetrating every part of his body.

“Well, now that you’re here, you know what they say?” Jasper Prime asked.

“What do they say?” Jasper asked quietly.

“People who understand this isn’t personal, say what.” Jasper Prime answered, looking Jasper directly in the eyes.

“What?” Jasper asked in polite confusion.

“Phew, that’s a huge weight off my conscience.” Jasper Prime said.

Before Jasper even knew what was happening, Jasper Prime had pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose. A sweet smell came from it, and, as he breathed frantically, panicked, Jasper could feel himself growing drowsy.

Suddenly, as Jasper Prime wrapped his other arm tightly around him, Jasper felt as if an electric current passed between them, and he screamed even more. Whether it was in pain or shock, he didn’t know. All he knew was that Jasper Prime had been that person whose presence he had felt.

“Shh, shh, it’s nighttime now, Jasper.” Jasper Prime whispered.

Jasper suddenly thought of his mother, and, as his brain grew tired, he began to naturally relax, and he felt warm, as though he was being held tightly in his mother's arms. Then he closed his eyes and thought no more.

**Quinn**

Quinn felt Jasper go limp, and he knew the chloroform had done its job. He carried him over to the garage, placing him on a chair inside, then going off to collect a few things for when Jasper woke.

**Jasper**

Jasper saw his memories fly by. He heard his mother’s voice, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. That is, until the blurring figures stopped, and he was finally able to focus on the one in front of him.

He was a little baby, probably no more than three weeks old. He was looking into the eyes of another baby, the exact same age as him. He felt as they took each others’ hands, then as his mother wrapped her arms around them.

“Oh, my babies.” she whispered, “What would I ever do without you two?”

He didn’t know whether it was the shock that woke him, or the sudden, blinding flash of light, all he knew was that the memory was fading faster than he could hold onto it, like water cupped in his hands. After a minute, all he managed to keep was the truth: His mother had hidden an even bigger secret from him for his entire life.

As he raised his hands to shield his eyes, he heard Jasper Prime speak.

“Sorry sorry sorry, this is where we usually have movie night.”

As the bright light was turned off, Jasper blinked a few times, trying to clear the black dots still obscuring his vision. When he could finally see again, he looked up to see Jasper Prime, dressed in his own clothes. Jasper suddenly realized that he himself was only in a t-shirt and underwear. He tried to keep the tremble from his voice as he spoke.

“What’s happening?”

“Okay, so...here’s the deal, I’m replacing you.” Jasper Prime answered.

“Jasper Prime?” Jasper whispered, scared.

“Yep.”

“Oh no…”

“I know, and I’m---sorry, but, um---I made you this.”

Jasper Prime revealed a large poster that said “sorry!” on it in big, decorative letters. There were also several pictures of Jasper’s own face, as well as some other little notes that Jasper couldn’t quite read.

“See? It’s your face.” Jasper Prime said.

“That’s really nice...why are you doing this?” Jasper asked, looking away from the poster and up at Jasper Prime.

“Well, I’m trying to learn to love myself and I already love you, so I figured this is a---”

“Felony?” Jasper suggested.

“A shortcut.” Jasper Prime corrected.

“Okay.” Jasper said, hiding his unease and sounding surprisingly calm.

“Besides, there’s no one I’d rather be.” Jasper Prime continued, setting his poster aside and moving to crouch down in front of Jasper, who, in spite of his fear and the sudden electric pulse that formed between them, didn’t move, “Because you always make time for kindness, and do the most with the time that you’ve made. You may not be  _ perfect _ , Jasper, but you always  _ try _ , and no amount of perfection can touch that.”

Jasper Prime smiled, resting his hand on Jasper’s knee. Jasper kept his face neutral, though, from the moment that they made skin-on-skin contact, he felt as if electricity shot through his body, and he had to try very hard not to cry out. That was when he felt it. Underneath the shock of electricity, Jasper felt the hole in his heart fill, and he knew, at that moment, that he had to make sure that neither he nor Jasper Prime was hurt. He couldn’t fight that sudden feeling, but he knew that the two of them had some kind of connection.

“So, what happens now?” he asked in a voice empty of emotion, finding that that was the quickest and only way that he could keep his sudden burst of feelings from spilling out.

“Well, dinner  _ is _ in  _ your _ honor tonight, so---” Jasper Prime answered, getting to his feet and walking over to the table on the other side of the room.

“But if  _ you’re _ me, where do I go?” Jasper continued, confused.

“That’s where things get complicated.” Jasper Prime replied, turning and tossing his own clothes to him.

Jasper caught them, looking up at Jasper Prime. Finally, deciding it would be better not to disobey, Jasper pulled Jasper Prime’s clothes on.

As soon as he was dressed, Jasper followed Jasper Prime out of the garage space, across the lawn, and back up to the house. Only once they were inside did Jasper Prime step aside, allowing Jasper to continue forward first. He opened the door of the room Jasper Prime motioned towards, then walked inside, trying to act brave.

He appeared to be in a dimly lit dining room, where there were nothing but a few candles in bone-shaped brackets lighting the room. The Jaspers, Alex, and Ryan were already seated around the table, and they all turned to look up at him and Jasper Prime as they entered. As Jasper Prime passed him, Jasper saw as he smiled around at his cult.

As he and Jasper Prime took their seats, Jasper saw Alex nod curtly to Ryan, then look over at Jasper Prime, who was laughing. Noticing Jasper looking at him, however, Jasper Prime glanced back, then, suddenly, he raised his wine glass in a toast, the most wicked and terrifying smirk forming on his face as he barely inclined his head.

Jasper felt the sudden urge to run, but his legs didn’t seem to want to move, and he found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jasper Prime’s. His breath caught in his throat and he heard and felt as blood pounded in his ears, making him dizzy. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t hear, and all he could see was the paralysing, evil smirk that Jasper Prime was giving him. He tried thinking of Eliza, tried picturing her face in his mind so that he could break free from the mental chains he was in, but all that did was cause his head to spin worse, and he stopped trying, giving in to whatever fate awaited him.

**Quinn**

As dinner was served, Quinn glanced back at Jasper, motioning for him to get up and talk. This part of his plan was very important, because he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to keep Alex and Ryan from harming him for much longer.

As Jasper stood, Quinn relaxed, glancing easily up at him.

“Alex, Ryan, Jaspers.” Jasper addressed the cult members, then turned to face Quinn, “Jasper---um---we worship you, and that’s a little weird, because you---you’re not what---you’re just---normal---”

Quinn frowned, and, thankfully, Jasper noticed, because, a second later, he changed course.

“But your jacket’s cool, and your calculators were cool, and you’re a pretty good stress-baker.”

“Jasper Fact 83.” William pointed out.

Quinn nodded, smiling, satisfied.

“Yeah, yeah, you wanted to be an astronaut, you wanted to---fly to Mars with no way back, and be a planet away from normal. But you stayed here, on Earth, because you needed to---”

Quinn began to feel terrible grief, guilt, and sadness wash over him, and his eyes began to burn with tears. He saw as Jasper began to tear up as well.

“Because you needed to help your mom be happy.” Jasper continued, then, a watery smile formed on his face, “And I think it kind of made you happy, too. And that’s cool. Because happy isn’t normal, happy is hard, it’s  _ impossible _ sometimes, but you did it, and---” Jasper sucked in a deep breath, “---you didn’t need worshippers or new identities, you just---helped someone, so...for what it’s worth...I’m proud of you. Jasper.”

The entire time Jasper spoke, Quinn felt his heart fill up, even though he had never been aware that it had been empty. He felt as if Jasper were squeezing his hand reassuringly, though he wasn’t actually touching him. Quinn got to his feet.

“Jasper, I---” he began.

Just then, Alex stood, revealing a knife.

“This might be a bad time, but we have knives.”

“What?” Jasper asked, a look of confusion and fear forming on his face as Alex pointed his knife at him.

“We know that you’re trying to kidnap Jasper.” Ryan added, getting to his feet and raising his own knife.

“And we’re here to protect him.” Alex finished.

Quinn, who had frozen in shock, now made a quick and risky move.

“Wait---no!” he exclaimed.

He saw as Jasper glanced at him, a look of shock and surprise on his face.

**Jasper**

Time seemed to freeze, but, suddenly, it returned. Jasper saw as Alex and Ryan aimed their knives at him.

“You have  _ three _ seconds to leave the cult.” Alex said.

“A  _ little _ dramatic.” one of the Jaspers noticed, sarcastic.

Jasper was taken aback by the careless and casual way the other Jaspers seemed to face this matter.

“Three---” Alex began.

“Wait, no!  _ I’m _ Jasper Prime!” Jasper Prime exclaimed suddenly.

“What?” Alex asked, looking at him, though keeping his knife trained on Jasper.

Jasper locked eyes with Jasper Prime, and, suddenly, it was as though the all the pain had left, leaving in its place a protective, understanding connection instead. Jasper felt the warmth that passed between them, and he stood his ground, suddenly brave.

“Two---” Ryan continued.

“Jasper… Run.” Jasper Prime said.

Jasper didn’t move, and, at that moment, Alex seemed to understand.

“Ryan… They’ve switched!” he exclaimed, turning and pointing his knife at Jasper Prime instead.

“What?” Jasper asked, shock, confusion, and terror chasing themselves around in his brain.

“Alright, fine.” Ryan answered, pulling out a cloth and shooting a meaningful glance at Alex, “Plan B.”

Ryan advanced on Jasper, who tensed, too scared to move.

“Not again.” Jasper said in a quiet voice, unable to speak louder in his fear.

“ _ Jasper _ !” Jasper Prime cried as Ryan slammed the cloth to Jasper’s face, knocking him out instantly.


	6. Twins Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Jasper escape from Alex and Ryan, and, once they are alone at the cult's house, Jasper invites Quinn to live with him and his mother, and, after getting home, they find out the truth from their mother.

**Quinn**

Quinn watched Jasper fall, as if in slow motion. Then, as Alex and Ryan advanced on him next, he realized what he had to do. He tried to dodge past them, tried to get to Jasper, but, suddenly, Alex caught him around the middle. Quinn screamed as a strong urge to protect Jasper burst from him at that moment. The urge spread through him like wildfire, burning his skin, and he screamed and struggled against Alex, who threw him to the ground.

“Whoever you are, don’t move.” Ryan ordered, his knife pointed at Quinn.

Quinn breathed heavily, trembling in fear. He wanted to speak up, to tell Alex and Ryan how truly sorry he was for everything he put them through that day, but his fear prevented him from opening his mouth to speak. Finally, Ryan nodded at Alex.

“Tie him up.”

But, as Alex moved to tie him, Quinn rolled out of the way, leaping to his feet. Just then, Alex grabbed him again, and he struggled hard as Ryan walked over to them. Alex kicked Quinn hard in the back of his right leg, causing him to crash to his knees. As he realized what he was reliving from a different perspective, he looked up at Ryan, pleading.

“Don’t hurt him.” he whispered, “Don’t hurt Jasper, I beg you.”

“Oh, we won’t.” Ryan said, smiling, though it didn’t reach his eyes, which remained cold, “But just know that we’re not doing this for you.”

Quinn got up for one last fight. He was suddenly aware that Alex had released him, and he saw him walk over to the other Jaspers, who froze in their attempt to go and help Quinn. Alex raised his knife, warning them to stay away. Quinn looked back at Ryan, shaking all over, in no fit state to fight. He wasn’t evil any more, and he saw no  _ good _ way to fight, he was scared to try in case he got it wrong.

“Please...” he whispered, “Don’t---”

But Ryan pressed a cloth hard over his mouth mid-sentence, cutting him off. Quinn didn’t even have the strength to resist anymore, and, knowing what the chloroform would do to him, he took a deep breath of it, letting the sweetness of it fog his brain. He wanted this to be over and done with as soon as possible.

“Look at you.” Ryan whispered, “Pretending to be too weak to even resist. Well, you can’t fool me. And, if you turn out to really be Jasper, I really  _ do _ apologize.”

Even through his now-foggy brain, Quinn could tell that Ryan didn’t really mean this, and he instantly began to fear for Jasper’s life. A second later, however, he felt himself begin to fall slowly. He suddenly wished he had put up a bigger fight, instead of instantly giving in.

_ I’m so sorry, Jasper _ , he thought,  _ I have failed you _ .

With this last thought, Quinn passed out.

He had a very strange dream. He and Jasper were sitting side-by-side in two ordinary lawn chairs. He saw that Jasper was wearing his own Windbreaker jacket over Quinn’s black-spotted white shirt. He then looked up at Jasper himself, trying to speak to him, but it seemed as though he had no control over his actions.

_ Jasper, please, I’m so, so sorry _ , he thought,  _ Please forgive me _ .

He suddenly felt as he began to wake up. He could feel his hands tied behind his back, and see that he was in a fast-moving car. Then he passed out again.

He was back in the dream with Jasper. Jasper was looking down at his clothes, trying to make sense of it. Quinn looked down at his own clothes, and, sure enough, he saw that he himself was wearing his own denim jacket over Jasper’s dark purple button-up shirt.

He wondered if it was the shock that woke him next. He looked to see Jasper lying, unconscious, next to him.

“Jasper…” he whispered, “Come on, Jasper, wake up. Wake up, Jasper.”

He moved ever so slightly so that he could take Jasper’s hand in his. He squeezed it tightly, trying to get a response.

“Come on. Come on, Jasper.” he tried again, “Come on, it’s time to wake up. It’s not time to sleep, Jasper. Come on, Jasper. Wake up.”

Finally, Jasper’s eyes opened, and he looked at Quinn, who suddenly became aware of the active connection between them. He let go of Jasper’s hand, but Jasper didn’t look away.

“Prime…” he whispered, “It’s---”

But he stopped, and a sudden look of fear formed on his face. Quinn turned in time to see Ryan above him.

“Having a nice chat, are we?” Ryan asked.

Before Quinn could answer, Ryan had slammed a cloth over his face. Quinn just barely had time to hear Jasper cry out.

“Jasper---!”

But Jasper couldn’t finish before Ryan had slammed a cloth over his mouth as well. A second later, Quinn passed out again.

**Jasper**

Jasper woke a while later as the car stopped and one of the side doors opened. Seeing that Jasper was awake, Alex grabbed him, pulling him roughly out of the car, then proceeding to tie his hands tightly behind his back.

Jasper looked to see as Ryan took Jasper Prime out of the car. Jasper Prime was already tied, and he looked terribly lost, sad, and hopeless.

Just then, Alex finished tying Jasper, and began dragging him into the forest in front of them, with Ryan following close behind with Jasper Prime. The Jaspers stayed at a distance, scared of what might happen if they interfered.

Jasper glanced over at Jasper Prime, opening his mouth to speak. Just then, Alex aimed a sharp blow at Jasper’s ear, causing him to let out a whimper of pain. Jasper closed his mouth, but looked back up at Jasper Prime.

"Don’t even think about it." Alex said, holding a chloroform-filled cloth close to his face, "You two have already caused each other enough problems."

Jasper became light-headed, and he was forced to look away from Jasper Prime in order to get fresh air.

As soon as he recovered, Jasper chanced another glance at Jasper Prime, but, this time, Alex brought the cloth closer to his face, so close, even, that Jasper stumbled, suddenly extremely dizzy. As he unintentionally fell, Alex aimed another blow at his ear.

"Get up." he ordered, yanking Jasper back to his feet.

"Be nice to him, Alex." Ryan warned.

_ And I also can't resist falling if you put chloroform right up to my face like that _ , Jasper thought, his ear stinging.

Wondering why Ryan had told Alex to be nice to him, Jasper continued walking calmly, bravely accepting whatever was coming.

He was suddenly aware of every pain in both his body and his mind. While his kneecaps and elbows were bruised by what he assumed was the result of his unconsciousness after a chloroform attack, his trusting, kind demeanor was severely damaged. He didn’t know who he could trust. He even felt slightly hesitant around Jasper Prime, now that he noticed. He also felt ready to fight in order to save himself and whoever showed they were on his side. Then again, his "flight" instinct felt stronger.

Soon, they emerged from the forest, where they looked out over a cliff at the distant ocean. Jasper tensed, the great height terrifying him. He looked to Jasper Prime in order to calm himself. He wouldn’t run if it meant leaving Jasper Prime to die.

As soon as the two of them were placed side-by-side near the edge of the cliff, Jasper and Jasper Prime glanced at each other. Then, remembering his dream, Jasper looked down at his clothes. He was still dressed fully in Jasper Prime’s clothing.

When he next looked up, Jasper saw as Jasper Prime turned his gaze toward the distant ocean. Jasper could tell that he was trying to act brave, but he could see, or rather,  _ feel _ , the fear that emanated from him.

_ It’s okay _ , he tried to silently assure him, though he himself was already quite terrified.

Just then, Ryan spoke from behind them, causing Jasper to look back at him and see that he stood on a large outcrop with Alex, while the other Jaspers were on the right of them. He and Alex had their arms folded, and they were looking down at Jasper and Jasper Prime with a steady, yet penetrating gaze.

“It appears we are at a disagreement. One of you is Jasper---”

Jasper glanced back at Jasper Prime at that moment.

“The other is that duplessic, intemperate, covetus, rebarbative, callous  _ leader _ Jasper Prime.” Ryan continued, hard, obvious blows in each syllable as he spoke.

Jasper tried to glare back at Ryan, but all he felt was an intense fear that something bad would happen if he tried to fight Ryan. Whilst glaring back at Ryan, Jasper saw as the other Jaspers seemed taken aback by their new leader’s strong words.

“One of you shall be spared,” Alex said in what he obviously hoped was a powerful and scary voice, “The other  _ shalln’t _ .”

“What?” Jasper asked, confused at the made-up word in the otherwise threatening speech.

“Honestly, I dunno.” Alex answered, shrugging, “Ryan said it would be cool if we spoke like we were in the movie ‘300,’ and I---”

“Shut up.” Ryan hissed, glaring at Alex as Jasper looked back at Jasper Prime. Ryan spoke again, resuming his powerful voice, “Make your plea!”

**Quinn**

Quinn knew what he had to do in order to protect Jasper. As he turned, however, Quinn saw as Jasper followed suit.

“Okay, I’m Jasper Prime.” Quinn said, looking bravely up at Alex and Ryan as he faced his former cult completely.

“That was easy.” Alex answered, making to jump down from the outcrop, but Ryan stopped him, glaring down at Quinn.

“ _ Prove it _ !” Ryan ordered.

“Alright,” Quinn answered, looking at Harold, William, and Robert in turn, “Your real name is Harold Peterson, your name is William Wenford, his name is Robert Paulson, your name is---”

But, as he looked at Benjamin, Ryan cut him off.

“Okay, okay.” Ryan looked at Alex, indicating Quinn with a flick of his head, “Alex, throw him off the cliff.”

Quinn glanced quickly at Jasper as their connection pulsed stronger. He heard as Alex leapt down from the cliff, but didn’t take his eyes off Jasper.

“For Sparta.” Alex said.

Just then, Jasper glanced up at Quinn, and, as their eyes met, Quinn felt their connection more than ever. He suddenly realized that he couldn’t let them be separated.

As Alex grabbed him roughly by the back of his jacket, Quinn could do nothing to prevent himself from being brought to the very edge of the cliff. He trembled all over in his fear, and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from looking down at the hundred-foot drop below him.

**Jasper**

Jasper snapped out of his horrified trance just in time. As Jasper Prime teetered dangerously on the edge of the cliff, Jasper felt a sharp tug on their connection. At that moment, he had a sudden flash of memories of him and Jasper Prime that day.

Then, as though he wasn’t a part of his body anymore, he heard himself give a loud shout for the first time in his life.

“ _ No _ !”

He hadn’t noticed how powerful his voice had sounded until Alex froze in shock. Behind him, Jasper was suddenly aware that Ryan and the Jaspers had become very still.

**Quinn**

Through his fear, Quinn felt shock and surprise as Jasper shouted for Alex to stop.

At that moment, however, Ryan spoke, leaping down from the outcrop behind Quinn and walking to where Jasper stood.

“No? Jasper, I don’t think you understand who this man is.”

Quinn closed his eyes, feeling as every one of Ryan’s words was like a punch to his gut.

“Do you know why he made you a cult?” Ryan asked Jasper, “Do you know anything about him? Jasper, we’re  _ protecting _ you.”

**Jasper**

Jasper hid his confusion, choosing instead to look at Ryan with a brave glare.

“What are you talking about?”

“Alex and I are your half-brothers.” Ryan answered, indicating Alex with a wave of his hand.

“Your dad’s our step-dad.” Alex added.

Jasper felt his heart thud painfully in his chest as he remembered something his mother had said a few years ago about his father.

_ “I found that he remarried to another widow about three years ago. All I know is that that widow had twins, both were about your age when she married your father. I don’t know their names, and they don’t know yours.” _

It was as if everything fell into place. His dad must have told Alex and Ryan about Jasper, and, suddenly, Jasper felt a sudden bubble of fear form inside him. He swallowed, keeping it down. What if his dad had decided he wanted nothing to do with Jasper, and that he had sent Alex and Ryan after him? Jasper didn’t want to believe it, but, as Ryan spoke next, he was forced to accept the truth.

“Your father left your family to start one of the most successful tech companies in the world.”

To calm his fears, Jasper glanced at Jasper Prime, while Ryan went on.

“Jasper, you never knew? Your father’s one of the wealthiest people in history. We found out about a plan to kidnap you and inherit your father’s estate.”

“Turns out, it was this guy.” Alex added, pulling on Jasper Prime, who remained still, staring sadly down at his feet.

Jasper refused to believe it, but he didn’t know what to say, so he stayed quiet.

**Quinn**

Quinn felt several loose tears fall. He suddenly realized just how much he was depending on Jasper to save them both from whatever fate Alex and Ryan had in mind for them.

“He created the cult just to reel you in.” Ryan said to Jasper, “And when the time was right, he ordered from the deli where he knew you worked part-time.”

Quinn closed his eyes, fighting to block out Ryan’s words.

**Jasper**

Jasper didn’t want to believe what Ryan was saying was true, but he knew it was. He looked away from Ryan, who noticed and moved so that Jasper couldn’t look away.

“You see, Jasper, none of it was real, he was just using you. He didn’t  _ care _ , none of them  _ cared _ . And why would they? You’re just normal.”

Jasper finally looked back at Jasper Prime.

**Quinn**

Quinn saw as Jasper looked at him, silently asking for help. Quinn shook his head ever so slightly, pleading.

“Jasper…” he whispered.

**Jasper**

Jasper kept his gaze on Jasper Prime for another moment, then, as Ryan spoke again, he glanced back at him.

“It’s time to come home, Jasp---”

Just then, there was a sudden commotion as William ran forward, whacking Ryan hard over the head with the dictionary he was holding. Ryan let out a painful grunt, falling to the ground, knocked out.

**Quinn**

Quinn turned around quickly, scared that Jasper had been hurt. Surprised, when he looked, he saw that it was Ryan who lay, unconscious, on the ground, with William standing over him, dictionary raised.

“It was real to me.” he said.

Quinn saw Jasper standing nearby, a look of utter shock on his face. When Jasper recovered, Quinn was surprised yet again at the words that came out of his mouth.

“Protect Prime!”

William nodded curtly, then turned to face Harold, Robert, and Benjamin. They began to chant, the other three repeating after William.

“Love! Sleep! Play! Pampers!”

As William said “Pampers,” he raised the dictionary into the air, and the other three cult members ran at Alex, who let go of Quinn in his fear. Quinn leapt out of the way, then William ran to him, quickly untying him.

“Get out of here!” William exclaimed.

“But I need to save Jasper!” Quinn cried as he saw Ryan sit up, looking in a lot of pain.

“I’ll get him. You go!” William said.

But Quinn didn’t listen. Instead, he ran to where Jasper had moved to get away from the chaos. Quinn had to leap over Ryan on the way, but, as he did so, Ryan caught him around the ankle, and he fell, landing hard on the compact ground.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Ryan exclaimed, trying to look tough, though Quinn could see that it was causing him a great deal of pain.

“I know what you’re planning on doing to Jasper!” Quinn exclaimed, then, as though something else caused him to speak, he heard himself add, “And I’m going to protect him!”

Quinn kicked out hard, his foot making contact with Ryan’s chest. Hoping he had only been strong enough to daze him and not break his ribs, Quinn scrambled to his feet, running to Jasper, who, focused on the battle, did not see him. Quinn stopped right behind Jasper, trying to untie him, fumbling in his panic. Suddenly, he and Jasper made skin-on-skin contact, their hands touching each other. Due to their raised emotions, the connection felt like a wave of electricity passing through them. Quinn bit his lip, trying to stay quiet, while Jasper screamed in pain, struggling.

“Wait, no! Jasper,  _ stop _ !” Quinn cried, “I’m trying to help you!”

But Jasper didn’t seem to hear him. Scared to let go of him in case he bolted, Quinn had no choice but to try to calm him with words again.

“Jasper, please calm down.” Quinn said, trying to keep his voice calm, though it trembled with suppressed panic, “I’m trying to free you. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

Nothing seemed to be working, so, in one last, desperate attempt, Quinn took a deep breath, closing his eyes, then trying to calm himself. Hoping their connection would be enough to help, he calmly moved his hands to Jasper’s, taking them and squeezing them gently.

“It’s okay.” he whispered, “It’s okay. Everything is fine. You’re safe as long as I am able to free you. Please, just work with me here.”

Their connection remained electrified for a second, then it turned into a gentle warmth. Quinn felt it pass from his head down to his arms, into his fingers, until it moved from his fingertips to Jasper’s. He wondered why this connection existed, whilst also feeling extremely grateful that it did.

Relying on their shared calm, Quinn let go of Jasper’s hands, then, as he pulled at the ropes with much steadier hands, they instantly came loose. As soon as he let go of Jasper, Quinn felt his resolve break completely, and, before Jasper could even turn around to see who had saved him, Quinn had vaulted himself up onto a higher ledge, then disappeared into the forest.

**Jasper**

Jasper could tell, from the calm feeling that spread as soon as the person behind him squeezed his hands, that it had been Jasper Prime who had saved him.

Suddenly remembering the situation he was in, Jasper took off into the forest, leaping over the roots and fallen trees in his path. He wondered if it was his adrenaline that caused him to weave through the forest with such precision.

As soon as Jasper was out of the forest, he paused, taking deep breaths and looking around for Jasper Prime. Though he wasn’t able to see him, he could sense that he was close by, and in no danger. He then began to take in his surroundings. He appeared to have left his part of the neighborhood, but that didn’t make things too difficult. He closed his eyes, standing completely still as he pictured the map he had memorized in order to find his way around the entire neighborhood.

Once he had the map in his mind, he opened his eyes again, looking around for the nearest signpost. As soon as he found it, he began to run again, and, with the map memorized, he didn’t have to stop to look at signposts again.

**Quinn**

Knowing that Jasper would make it back to the house soon, Quinn had to get there fast so that he could get inside before Jasper left. Luckily, he had some streets in the neighborhood memorized at running pace, so he didn’t have to slow down once.

**Jasper**

Jasper made it back to the cult’s house in a record five minutes. Sweating, exhausted, and aching, Jasper wanted to slow down, but he knew he didn’t have time. He used the last of his adrenaline to pull himself up onto the roof, then he walked carefully across it to the still-open window, climbing back into the bathroom. He then moved out into the front room, looking around to see his black backpack propped against the wall near the front door.

**Quinn**

Gasping for air, Quinn stumbled up the stairs to the raised porch after running for what felt like an hour. He was about to collapse when, suddenly, the door opened, and he looked up to see Jasper, who stopped when he saw him. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other.

_ Come on, Jasper, say something _ , Quinn silently pleaded,  _ I need you to help me now _ .

But Jasper seemed too shocked to speak, so Quinn did.

“Hi.” he said nervously.

“Hey.” Jasper replied.

**Jasper**

Jasper was only vaguely aware that the sun had begun to set. He knew his mother would be worried, but all that mattered at that moment, to him, at least, was that he said what he had been aching to say to Jasper Prime as soon as he saw the lost look in his eyes while they were on the cliff. But, first, he had to get the important things out of the way, get the weight off his shoulders.

“You created the cult just to replace me. Why?” he asked.

**Quinn**

Quinn looked down at his feet, feeling Jasper’s gaze on him. Finally, he spoke.

“I wanted to be someone else.” he explained, tears stinging his eyes as he remembered the years at the orphanage and the bullies at school, “I never knew my parents, I never---had a home, I’ve---made a lot of mistakes.”

He felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks as he remembered chloroforming Jasper. He remembered vaguely the connection he had not felt at that time, the electric connection that had caused Jasper so much pain, on top of the chloroform attack itself.

The next thing he remembered was all the animals he had sacrificed during the cult’s entire existence.

He looked down at his feet, not wanting Jasper to see that he was crying. Finally, when he felt ready, he looked back up.

“So I found out about you and your dad and I wanted what you had.” he made a brave attempt at a smile, but it only lasted about a millisecond.

“But you had the chance to take it, why didn’t you?” Jasper asked.

“Because I met you.” Quinn answered, meeting eyes with the person who had taught him that it  _ was _ possible to love and be loved in a hard situation, “And I found out that you really are someone worth---believing in.”

There was a second of silence, then Jasper spoke again.

“What’s your  _ real _ name?”

Quinn hesitated for a second, surprised. Finally, he answered.

“Quinn.”

“You made my day pretty terrible, Quinn.” Jasper said, not smiling, though saying this much lighter than he could have done, which made Quinn feel a little better.

“Yeah,” Quinn agreed, nodding, feeling some of the weight of guilt lift as Jasper acknowledged this.

“I’m Jasper.” Jasper said, laughing quietly.

Quinn smiled slightly, finding that a laugh would sound too foreign coming from his own mouth.

“Hey.”

“Can I have my jacket back?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sorry.” Quinn answered, taking off the purple Windbreaker and tossing it up to Jasper.

“Here.” Jasper said, taking off Quinn’s denim jacket and throwing it down to him.

“Thanks.” Quinn replied, smiling, as he caught his own jacket and put it on.

As he straightened his jacket, however, Jasper spoke.

“Do you wanna meet my mom?”

Quinn froze, looking up at Jasper. For a moment, he was too overcome with emotion to speak, then, when he could, he answered with one, small word.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Quinn couldn’t believe it, and he nodded, smiling wider than he ever remembered doing.

“Okay.”

Quinn and Jasper walked down the stairs together, and Quinn was surprised at the warmth that seemed to emanate from Jasper. He stayed close to Jasper, and, as they began to walk up the road, Jasper spoke.

“We’ve got a lot to tell her about.”

“Yeah...” Quinn agreed.

“But then maybe we could watch Lumbersweats and the Sweet Meat Chronicles.” Jasper suggested.

“The what?”

“You’ve  _ never _ heard of Lumbersweats?” Jasper asked, incredulous.

“Well, I’ve been kinda busy.” Quinn pointed out.

“Oh, right.” Jasper said, “Well, it’s my favorite show, so I think you’ll like it.”

“Cool.” Jasper said.

**Jasper**

The sun was now so low in the sky that, when Jasper looked at the horizon, he could see a tinge of purple and orange glowing out from an otherwise dark blue sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Quinn asked.

“Yeah.” Jasper answered, “I mean, I’ve never actually  _ seen _ a sunset before. Mom doesn’t like it if I’m out this late.”

“I can see why.” Quinn said, “And I’m really sorry for keeping you up. You can explain it to her, tell her it’s my fault.”

Jasper looked at Quinn, incredulous.

“Since  _ when _ have I gone around blaming people for things?” he joked, “Come on, surely you knew that about me in that cult of yours?”

Quinn blushed, looking down at his feet. A second later, he took a deep breath, then glanced back up at Jasper again.

“I’m not proud of it, but it  _ was _ nice to find out that about ninety percent of those things were true. Er---right?”

“Uh...fifty.” Jasper corrected, “I heard Alex and Ryan mention a few, and one of them  _ was _ actually true, until I---”

“Defied the odds and escaped anyway.” Quinn answered, smiling guiltily, “Jasper Fact 622: Jasper---”

“Has a fear of windows in bathrooms.” they finished together.

Jasper laughed softly, looking down at his feet. Just then, a thought occurred to him, and he looked up at Quinn.

“How did you know?”

“What?” Quinn asked, looking at him.

“You were standing right at the bottom of the stairs when I came down.” Jasper elaborated, “How did you know I would try to escape?”

“Well, I just assumed that, if you were anything like me, you wouldn’t mind getting over your fear to seek freedom.” Quinn answered, a guilty smile forming on his face again, “I had to face my fear of the outside world to escape from the orphanage, and you had to face your fear of---” he laughed, then caught himself, clearing his throat and pretending as though it hadn’t happened, “---bathroom windows, to escape from my house. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jasper assured him, laughing, “I already know it is--- _ was _ \---an irrational fear. But, still, it’s not  _ every _ day you have someone waiting just outside to pounce on you…”

An awkward silence formed between them. Just then, Jasper’s phone rang in his jacket pocket.

“Oh no!” Jasper exclaimed, pulling his phone out to see that his mom was trying to call him, “I forgot!”

He answered the call, while Quinn shook with silent laughter.

“Hey, Mom…” Jasper said nervously, seeing as Quinn now doubled over in his laughter.

“Jasper, where  _ are _ you?” his mom asked frantically, “It’s quite late.”

“It’s only---” Jasper checked his watch, “Five o’clock. I’ll still be in time for dinner.”

“Jasper, you  _ know _ I don’t want you out after sunset!” his mom scolded, “What if someone had got to you without me knowing? What if you were kidnapped?”

“Oh, trust me, Mom.” Jasper said, winking at Quinn and mouthing the word “kidnapped,” then rolling his eyes, “I just lost track of time, that’s all.”

“Alright, just make sure you’re home in five minutes.” his mom said.

“Will do.” Jasper answered, “See you soon.”

“Stay safe.” his mom said.

As soon as Jasper hung up, he and Quinn burst into laughter. For a minute, they couldn’t stop, then, gasping for air, Jasper raised his hand and high-fived Quinn.

“ _ Brilliant _ !” he exclaimed, “She almost thought I was  _ kidnapped _ ! Imagine  _ that _ !”

“And you  _ were _ !” Quinn added, his eyes streaming with tears of joy.

As they calmed down, however, Quinn’s smile was replaced by a serious look.

“Should we tell her that, though?” he asked.

“Well, it’s all part of being honest.” Jasper answered, “We’ll be in  _ more _ trouble if and when she finds out I was kidnapped,  _ especially _ when she finds out I brought the kidnapper home with me.”

Quinn snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, and she’s  _ definitely _ going to find  _ that _ out. We swapped shirts!”

“Well, that’ll make the transition to that subject in the conversation much smoother, once she sees that.” Jasper said, then, checking his watch, he yelped in surprise, “We’ve got to be home in two minutes!”

Already sore from running that day, Jasper merely sped to an even jog, which wasn’t bad, as his home was already in sight. As he and Quinn made it to the driveway, they slowed to a walk, and they went up to the front door. Jasper knocked, and he only had to wait a moment before his mom answered.

**Quinn**

When she saw Jasper, his mom pulled him into a hug, then, as they separated, she froze, her eyes on Quinn. For a moment, she looked from him to Jasper and back, then, suddenly, she ran to Quinn and pulled him into a tight hug, sobbing. Jasper was left standing in the doorway, looking completely dumbfounded. Quinn felt his feelings completely.

“Um…” was all Quinn could say.

After a minute, Jasper had managed to get his mom off Quinn, and he helped her into the house, Quinn following close behind, still shaken. As soon as Jasper had made sure that his mom was seated comfortably on the sofa in the front room, he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Quinn alone with her. Quinn went to sit in a chair on the other side of the living room.

Just then, Jasper came back, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. He handed it to his mom, then sat down next to her, his arm around her shoulders. Through his shock, Quinn felt his heart melt as he watched the two interact. The perfect relationship he never had.

**Jasper**

As soon as his mom had calmed down, Jasper spoke, holding on tightly to her hand.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” he asked, “What is it?”

“Oh, Jasper…” his mom answered, smiling at him, “I wish I could have told you before. I was foolish. I thought you would be upset if you found out…”

“Found out what?” Jasper asked.

“Jasper...you two are twins.” his mom said.

Jasper swayed, suddenly dizzy with emotions. He glanced over at Quinn, who seemed to be having the same reaction. Finally, he spluttered a response.

“Quinn and I--- _ t-twins _ ?  _ How _ ? Mom, how come you never told me?”

“I was afraid how you would react if you found out that your twin was missing.” his mom explained, “But I was  _ partially _ true when I told you that your dad took nothing with him the day that he left. It’s just that---a few days later---he sent someone to kidnap  _ both _ of you, but---”

“ _ Both _ of us?” Jasper asked, shocked, “Then how---?”

“I fought him off.” his mom said before he could finish, “But I made a huge mistake… In trying to prevent you from being taken as well, I left the door unblocked, and the man stole Quinn. I tripped on my way to save him, and, by the time I had found my footing again, he was gone. For days I waited for news that Quinn had been taken in by your father. I heard nothing, until, one day, I received a call from your father. Before I could ask what had happened, he said...he said…”

“He said what?” Jasper asked quietly.

“He said that Quinn was dead.” his mom answered in a small voice.

**Quinn**

Quinn gasped, overwhelmed. He saw flashes of memories, and, this time, he knew they were true. He heard a baby’s cries, and heard his mother’s screams. Now he knew it really had been his mother. He heard her scream his name, and he shivered, shaking his head and coming back to the present. He knew now why he and Jasper had a connection.

Before Quinn knew it, he had walked over to kneel in front of his mother, taking her other hand and smiling up at her.

“I’m here now.” he said quietly, “I’m safe.”

“Oh, my sweet boy.” his mom whispered, leaning down and pulling him into a gentle hug, “I missed you so much.”

Surprised by the loving hug, Quinn froze, then he relaxed, resting his head on his mom’s shoulder, his eyes closed. Then, remembering the events of that day that had led to this, Quinn began to shake with sobs.

**Jasper**

Jasper watched as his twin cried, and, suddenly, Quinn spoke.

“I-it’s all my fault.”

“Oh, Quinn, it’s not your fault.” their mom said, pulling away from Quinn, then, as she tucked his fringe gently behind his ear, she froze, and Jasper saw as her eyes moved to Quinn’s shirt, “Wait, that’s---”

She looked up at Jasper, who, a guilty look in his eyes, pulled off his own jacket to reveal Quinn’s spotted shirt. Jasper was suddenly aware of the cold, bronze chain of the necklace, which he had almost forgotten about.

“Jasper, what’s going on?” his mom asked.

Jasper closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again and beginning to explain what had happened, with a little help from Quinn.

“Quinn found out about Dad’s fortune, and he saw it as an opportunity to escape from the life he was living. He---he---created a---”

“Cult.” Quinn finished, taking over, closing his eyes as he admitted what Jasper knew he had been holding on to for a long time, “After I escaped from the orphanage, I got a job at a community records office. I ended up finding Dad’s file, and I discovered that he was rich. I also saw that he had had two sons, though my name wasn’t there. Shortly after that, Jasper kept popping up everywhere in the news, so I decided to learn more about him. Soon, I overpowered my friends, and I became the leader of what I decided to call the Jasper Cult. I had found out that Jasper and I looked quite similar, and I knew that would make it extremely easy for me to---to---replace him---to inherit Dad’s estate.”

Jasper could feel as Quinn tried to hold in his emotions. Soon, however, they spilled out, and Quinn cried while his mom held him close. Taking a deep, shaking breath, Quinn continued to explain.

“I-I took on the t-title of J-Jasper P-Prime, and, s-soon, I had f-four cult m-members. I g-gave th-them all J-Jasper’s name, i-in order to h-help h-hide their identity, b-but a-also b-because they p-proved their loyalty to me. A-about t-two weeks ago, I-I invited A-Alex and R-Ryan into the c-cult. I-I didn’t know wh-who they w-were, at f-first, a-and I didn’t f-find out u-until today.”

At this point, Jasper and his mom had joined Quinn on the ground. Both were holding him gently. Jasper rubbed Quinn’s arm comfortingly, then, realizing he knew what happened next, he took over in explaining.

“Quinn ordered from the deli today, and he specifically requested for me to deliver it. I-I---wasn’t prepared---for what he was about to do. He knew so much about me---I thought it was all a joke. It was  _ my _ fault that I walked in. He introduced me to the cult, all of whom he called Jasper, except for Alex and Ryan. He told me to wash my hands, and, as I went into the bathroom, he---”

“I ordered f-for Alex and R-Ryan to w-watch him wh-while the J-Jaspers and I---s-set up---for d-dinner.” Quinn took over again, “Except I didn’t---I d-didn’t stay…”

Realizing that Quinn didn’t want to say what happened next, and Jasper didn’t really know that himself, Jasper went on to explain what happened next from his own point of view.

“Alex and Ryan knew so much about me, and---and they---had knives.”

His mom let out a small scream, putting her hands to her mouth. Jasper continued quickly.

“But they didn’t hurt me, and it wasn’t Quinn’s fault! And then---then---I got scared. I climbed out of the bathroom window, then down the roof onto the porch. I was free, until---until---”

He looked at Quinn, taking his hand and willing him to be strong. After taking a deep breath, Quinn continued.

“I knew Jasper would try to escape, and I---had to stop him. I used---I used---chloroform.”

Their mom screamed again.

“Oh, Quinn! How did you---?”

“I---don’t know what made me---I just---I-I guess I was---j-jealous---a-and---angry.” Quinn said quietly, closing his eyes, “I hate thinking about it now. It is my biggest regret. But---then---we switched. It was the best I had felt in a long time. In someone else’s world, I felt--- _ alive _ . When Jasper woke up, I---I---faked an apology---in order to---to---regain his trust. When we next met with the rest of the cult, Jasper was Jasper Prime, and I was him. Then---he gave a speech---and that was when I began to feel it, and---I realized---I had finally found someone who cared. I realized my mistake, and I wanted to make it up to him. But, right as I got up to speak, Alex and Ryan raised their knives and pointed them at Jasper, who they believed to be me.”

Quinn paused, quivering, and Jasper knew it was his turn to speak.

“Alex and Ryan claimed to be protecting me. But then, they chloroformed me---”

“Us…” Quinn added in a small voice.

Jasper looked sadly at Quinn, then continued.

“Us.” he corrected himself, “They chloroformed us and took us in a car to a cliff near the sea. We were tied, completely defenseless, as Alex and Ryan demanded for ‘Jasper Prime’ to reveal himself.”

“And I did.” Quinn said, “I revealed myself, then, to prove it, I revealed the Jaspers’ real names. Then---” Quinn took a deep breath, “---then, Ryan ordered for Alex to---to---throw me off the cliff.”

“Oh, my poor baby!” their mom exclaimed, hugging him and sobbing.

Smiling weakly, Quinn took another deep breath, then continued.

“But you won’t believe what happened next…” he whispered, looking at Jasper through his mother’s arms and smiling at him, “Jasper saved my life. Then, Ryan spoke to him, and that was when we found out---”

“Alex and Ryan are our half-brothers.” the twins said at the exact same moment.

“Ryan tried to manipulate me.” Jasper continued, “He tried to tell me that Jasper Prime, Quinn, wanted to replace me---to inherit Dad’s estate. Which---that was true---for a while, but, since I gave my speech---Quinn changed. I knew---and our connection helped---that Quinn was good. Then, one of the Jaspers, William, came and knocked Ryan out with a dictionary.”

Quinn laughed weakly.

“We found our way back home easily enough.” he added, “Then Jasper and I talked and he wanted to introduce me to you, and good thing he did, too.”

It was only when Quinn pointed this out did Jasper remember what had caused him to suddenly want to introduce him to his mom.

“It was like this sudden--- _ urge _ \---inside me. This sudden--- _ feeling _ , that it would---it would be the right thing to do.” he said, “As if, deep down, I knew.”

“Knew what?” Quinn asked, as his mother let go of him.

Jasper smiled, playfully ruffling Quinn’s hair.

“That we were twins, silly.” he said quietly into his ear.

“Pfft, and you thought  _ I _ was the creepy one?” Quinn asked playfully, squirming, “Look at you, whispering into my ear. That tickled, just so you know.”

“Good.” Jasper answered, pulling away and smiling mischievously, “Just what I was going for.”

“Oh,  _ now _ you’re going for the ‘annoying brother’ route?” Quinn joked.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’ve never had anyone to play with.”

“Oh, please, make it sound sadder, why don’t you?” Quinn said, rolling his eyes, “Also, what am I, a popular kid? Yeah, right. You’d better try  _ that _ one again, little brother.”

“Little?” Jasper exclaimed, “ _ Little _ ? Who are you calling  _ little _ ? We’re the same age!”

“True, but---” Quinn suddenly spotted something over Jasper’s shoulder, pointing at it, “What’s  _ that _ ?”

“Huh?” Jasper asked, turning around, but seeing nothing.

**Quinn**

Stifling a giggle, Quinn pounced on Jasper, wrestling him to the ground. Jasper squealed like a scared piglet, then, when he saw that it was Quinn, he raised his hands to fight back. Suddenly, Jasper managed to roll them over so that he was on top and Quinn was pinned beneath him.

“Got you!” Jasper exclaimed, laughing victoriously.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Quinn teased.

And that was when he felt it. Another new feeling was coursing through him, and it was a  _ wonderful _ feeling. He felt young and playful, like a true sibling should. He and Jasper continued to roll around on the floor, wrestling each other like a couple of lion cubs, while their mother laughed from behind them.

As Quinn managed to pin Jasper down again, Jasper let out a playful, yet pitiful whine.

“Aw, come  _ on _ , Quinn! You’re  _ always _ the one winning, just give me a chance, for once.”

“Nope.” Quinn answered, shaking his head and smiling, “I won fair and square.”

“Please?” Jasper asked, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

Quinn sighed, giving in.

“Alright, fine, but  _ only _ because you’re adorable.”

“Yay! I--- _ what _ ?” Quinn saw as Jasper realized what he had said, “ _ Hey _ !”

Quinn laughed.

“I’ll let you have another chance, but you have to really fight for it. Also, I think you say what too much.”

Just then, Jasper let out a playful growl, taking Quinn completely by surprise.

**Jasper**

Jasper used Quinn’s sudden surprise to his advantage. He carefully pushed Quinn off him, then rolled over so that he was on top of him instead. As he moved his hands to rest on either side of Quinn, Jasper’s finger brushed over one of his ribs, giving him an idea.

Jasper instantly began to tickle Quinn, who shrieked with uncontrollable laughter, rolling around as much as he could from where he was held down. As he watched his brother try to squirm out of his hold, Jasper suddenly realized how  _ fun _ this was. He felt like a child again, playing with his twin.

As Jasper finally stopped tickling Quinn, their mother called them from the kitchen, where she had gone off to make dinner.

“Boys! Time for dinner!”

Jasper went to help his mom set up. Quinn came as well, but their mom spoke.

“It’s alright, Quinn. You’ve had a rough time, you don’t have to worry about helping.”

“But I  _ want _ to.” Quinn said, “It’ll make me feel as though I’m actually doing some good in the world.”

“Oh, honey, you’re so sweet.” their mom replied, pulling him into a hug and kissing him on the top of the head, “Alright, you can help. But, tomorrow, you  _ must _ rest.”

“Sounds fair.” Quinn answered.

Jasper, who had been watching their interaction, went back to collecting their silverware, smiling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief.

_ And she thought  _ I _ didn’t have a hard time _ , he thought.

But he wasn’t upset. On the contrary, he was quite amused.

They had quite a lot to talk about during dinner. The twins’ mother asked them for more details on what had happened. They didn’t mind answering most of the questions, but there was one that Jasper knew they  _ both _ wanted to keep secret, and that was what had happened in the car, as well as on the cliff. Jasper remembered how Quinn’s gentle touch had managed to bring him out of his chloroform-induced sleep, and how, for that moment, they weren’t afraid of anything. Then, as he remembered what had happened when Quinn had untied him, he suddenly felt that same, warm tingle spread from his fingertips to the rest of his body, calming him.

Across from him, Jasper saw as Quinn smiled at him, and he knew, at that moment, that they shared the same thoughts.

**Quinn**

As he finished eating, Quinn cleared away his plate, then almost ran back to Jasper’s side, realizing now that he could barely live without his company.

While their mom went to set up a bed for Quinn, Jasper took Quinn’s hand, then brought him over to the piano in the front room. As Jasper sat down, he looked up at Quinn, and they smiled at each other.

“Am I about to find just how spoiled you are?” Quinn asked.

“Maybe, but I was thinking more along the lines of showing you a song I’ve been practicing for a while.” Jasper answered, “Mom wrote it.”

“Nice.” Quinn said.

As Jasper began to play, Quinn closed his eyes as the beautiful song calmed him instantly. He vaguely recognized it, but couldn’t remember where he’d heard it.

When he opened his eyes again, Quinn saw Jasper looking at him as he continued to play. Then, suddenly, Jasper began to sing gently.

_ “So maybe I’m just a normal guy, _

_ Watching the world just pass me by.” _

Suddenly able to hear the lyrics before Jasper sang them, as if reading Jasper’s thoughts, Quinn joined in, smiling widely.

_ “But you make it extraordinary. _

_ An extraordinary life.” _

They finished together, then, from behind them, they heard their mother applaud, and they turned to look at her.

“That was beautiful.” she praised, walking over to them, “Did you come up with the lyrics just now, Jasper?”

“They came to me as I was playing, yes.” Jasper said, “I mean, it was based on everything I went through today.”

Quinn blushed, and Jasper smiled at him.

“Just because some of it wasn’t  _ fun _ doesn’t mean that it didn’t turn out to feel  _ extraordinary _ .” he assured Quinn, “Believe me, I quite enjoy stories about surprises, so it was just an extra boost that I got to actually experience one instead of just reading it in a book or seeing it in a film.”

Quinn smiled weakly. Just then, their mother spoke.

“Now, it’s getting quite late, and you two have had a pretty adventurous day, so I think it’s time for you two to shower and get ready for bed.”

“I’ll go first.” Jasper said, standing.

Just as Jasper was about to walk away, however, Quinn took his hand, causing him to glance back at him.

“What’s up, Quinn?”

“Nothing, I just---you---you can go shower, now.” Quinn answered awkwardly, letting go of Jasper’s hand.

“I promise I won’t be long.” Jasper reassured him.

“Okay.” Quinn said.

And, with that, Jasper walked off, first going into his room to collect his clothes, then disappearing into the bathroom. Having spent most of that day next to Jasper, Quinn suddenly felt quite lonely. He walked over to the sofa, taking off his jacket as he went, then pulling on Jasper’s Windbreaker instead, suddenly aware of how it helped to calm him a little.

Suddenly aware that his mother’s eyes were on him, Quinn walked over to her. She took him in her arms.

“I think Jasper knew all along.” she whispered, “He could tell when you first entered the neighborhood. He was worried about you, though he didn’t know it at first. And I think I know what he did after you took him in. He led you home.”

Quinn smiled.

“Is there anything I should be prepared for over the next few weeks?” he asked.

“Well, just get used to a lot of space-talk.” his mom answered, laughing quietly, “Once Jasper finds someone he likes, he becomes pretty talkative, and his favorite subject is---”

“Space.” Quinn finished, “Okay, I’m ready.”

**Jasper**

After Jasper finished his shower and dressed, he gave Quinn a quick, reassuring hug as he went off to take his.

“I promise I won’t run away this time.” he promised with a smile, “Now that I know who you really are, I will stay.”

“Thanks.” Quinn said, laughing weakly.

Jasper kept his promise, climbing into his bed and turning his reading lamp on, writing a quick journal entry so that he would never forget that day, then, yawning, he turned off his light and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep by the time Quinn entered.

“Jasper, you still awake?” he whispered.

“Mmm-hmm.” Jasper answered vaguely, opening his eyes to look up at his brother.

“Cool.” Quinn said, sounding relieved, as he climbed into his own bed.

Just then, their mother entered, going to sit on the end of Quinn’s bed and smiling at them.

“How are my boys?” she asked.

“Exhausted, considering I slept twice today.” Jasper answered, yawning.

Jasper could tell that Quinn was trying to stifle a laugh as he coughed in a very fake way. Quinn answered his mother’s question next, as though nothing had happened.

“I’m alright. Just...a  _ little _ confused.”

Their mother smiled, taking Quinn’s hand, then leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

**Quinn**

Quinn closed his eyes as his mother began to gently massage his head, singing quietly to him. That was when he finally felt complete, and a soft smile formed on his face.

Just then, he felt as Jasper took his hand, which he had dangled over the edge of his bed. As Jasper squeezed his hand gently, Quinn felt a warm surge of calm wash over him, and he responded with a gentle squeeze in return.

As a comforting tingle formed where his mom was massaging his head, Quinn fell asleep, his dreams for once free of nightmares about his days at the orphanage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all for reading! If you haven't already, please check out "Jasper" and "LUCIDS" by Nicholas Podany on YouTube! After all, that's what my whole story is based on, and I would hate to seem as though I'm taking ALL the credit! Besides, Nick's work is more impressive, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who saw my earlier posting of this, I'm sorry for deleting it. But, after a bit of editing, it's back up, and I thank you all for your patience!  
> To everyone, please check out "The Adventures of Benjamin and Oliver," "Jasper," and "LUCIDS" by Nicholas Podany on YouTube! When you've done that, there's an official Discord server for the fandom, and I will post the link to it later when I have more time!


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